Phormium colensoi 'Tricolor'

Phormium colensoi 'Tricolor' is a variegated cultivar of the New Zealand Mountain Flax that was discovered in 1888 by William Summers on the cliffs of the Wainuiora River, East of Masterton in the Wairarapa area of New Zealand's North Island. Summers was a gardener on the Brancepeth Estate, one of the largest sheep stations in the history of New Zealand. The story goes that William Summers was somewhat reluctant to be lowered over the cliff to fetch a division of his discovery and a sailor who was working at Brancepeth agreed to collect the specimen. Horticulture has many strange twists and turns but without the courage of that nameless sailor, we would never have known 'Tricolor'.

Phormium colensoi 'Tricolor' has the weeping habit typical of Phormium colensoi with green leaves that have a creamy-yellow variegation and a contrasting margin of dark purple- red.

Often seen listed (still!) as a cultivar of Phormium cookianum or Phormium cookianum ssp. hookeri, Phormium colensoi replaces these now deprecated synonyms.