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Chatham Island Kakaha
Astelia chathamica
Astelia chathamica, commonly known as the Chatham Islands kakaha, Moriori flax, or silver spear, is a species of flowering plant in the recently named family Asteliaceae. It is an evergreen silver-green perennial from the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, growing to about 1.2 m (4 ft) tall. Forming a large clump of sword-shaped leaves, it produces small green flowers and red berries (the latter only on the female plant). It grows best in partial shade and in fertile and well-drained soil with moderate water. The plant is hardy down to −3 °C (27 °F), but the foliage may be damaged by frost, so in colder areas the plant may require some winter protection.
In cultivation in the UK, this plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
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In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Astelia chathamica in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 399774.