Re: Cordyline trunk damage

Hi Barry,
I know Moira will wish to say something about this when she has time (but not today).
As I am sure you know, Cordyline australis is a somewhat anomalous plant. For a start, they are not a tree, as they are monocotyledonous. Therefore they do not have the same kind of conductive tissues as real trees.
From memory, their conductive tissues are more diffuse than the thin cambium
layer of a dicot, neither do they have a true bark. We have seen and read a /wonderful/ book about this and related spcies - a monograph titles "Dancing Leaves: The story of New Zealand's Cabbage Tree" by Philip Simpson, but we do not possess a copy, although our DIL has one.
From memory, they can survive a lot of trunk damage, and some peeling of the
lower "bark" from around the base is not uncommon. However, they are unable to repair their "bark" after damage.
However, I am not a botanist, nor even a gardener, so I will leave the rest to Moira, who may be able to discuss what is in the book with our DIL. 

Tony

Tony & Moira Ryan, Wainuiomata, New Zealand
Climate ( US Zone 9). Annual averages:-
Minimum -2°C; Maximum 28°C Rainfall 2000mm
----- Original Message ----- From: "B. Garcia" <paroxytone@gmail.com> 
To: "Medit Plants" <Medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Thursday, May 17, 2007 9:03 AM
Subject: Cordyline trunk damage


Now, for the main purpose of this post:

I posted a couple of months ago asking if Cordyline australis can
survive with an entire ring of "bark" gone from the trunk. I had no
responses, so perhaps some pictures can help you see what I'm talking
about. I first noticed damage sometime after the big freeze in
January. I noticed that the bark was cracked and splayed out, and
investigating it, it came off easily, revealing the "wood" underneath.
It was moist and slick, although not slimy. Earwigs had taken up
residence. I didn't see holes in the trunk (and still do not), but the
"wood" is brownish. It peeled up the trunk about a foot the entire way
around. Here are some pictures:
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