Looking at Plants

Cordyline fruticosa ‘Pink Diamond’

COMMON NAMES

Pink Diamond Ti Plant, Pink Diamond Cordyline, Pink Diamond Hawaiian Ti Plant, Pink Diamond Good-Luck Plant 

Cordyline (kor-dih-LY-nee) - Greek, for a club, in reference to the shape of the roots

fruticosa (froo-tih-KO-suh) - shrubby, bushy

‘Pink Diamond’ – cultivar name

OTHER NAMES/SYNONYMS

Species -Dracaena terminalis, Cordyline terminalis, Asparagus terminalis, Convallaria fruticosa, Terminalis fruticosa, Taetsia fruticosa

GROUP 

Monocot

FAMILY 

Some taxonomists put in Agavaceae; others put in Liliaceae; while still others put in Asparagaceae

ORIGIN

Species - S.E. Asia, Australia, Polynesia; Cultivar - Thailand

DESCRIPTION

Pink Diamond Ti Plant is an evergreen shrub that averages 8 to 9 feet in height with a spread of 3 to 4 feet. It has an upright, clumping growth habit. It has a moderate growth rate.

Leaves are evergreen, linear, strap-like in shape, spiral in arrangement, simple, somewhat glossy, and various shades of green with white striping and white margins. It has parallel veins. It has pink petioles.

The pinkish flowers are 1/3 to ½ inch long, slightly fragrant, and are borne on short stalks of a panicle. It blooms from spring to fall.

Fruit are small, round berries.

HARDINESS

It is hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11.

LIGHT

Full sun, but it will grow in partial shade. It likes some shade from the intense light of the midday sun (although it seems to tolerate full sun better than some other cultivars). It is adaptable to indoor lighting, but with poorer color and density in lower light settings.

SALT

Poor to Moderate Salt Spray Tolerance – it will tolerate some spray, but it is best to have more protection such as a fence or building as an additional barrier behind the first row of plantings or the first dunes.

SOIL

It prefers a fertile, moist soil in the pH range of 5.5 to 6.5, but it will grow on other well-drained soils.

WATERING

It has moderate drought tolerance when established, but it will look much better with irrigation in dry spells. Plants located in full sun will need more frequent watering as opposed to shade sites which require less. It is somewhat fluoride sensitive with frequent applications of water high in fluorine – brown leaf tip is the most frequent symptom.

PROPAGATION

Semi-hardwood stem cuttings taken in the summer; air layering; tissue culture; seeds don't always come true to variety

PRUNING

Prune off dead leaves to keep it tidy. Its natural growth habit is long, unbranched canes, so if you want any branching, you will have to clip a cane.

FERTILIZING

It has no special fertilizer needs. Unless a soil test suggests otherwise, a slow-release balanced analysis fertilizer applied per the product label will work. With indoor lower light settings or shady spots, it can take a lighter dose of fertilizer.

PESTS

Darkwinged Fungus Gnat, Longtailed Mealybug, Spider Mites, Boisduval Scale, Thrips, Rugose Spiraling Whitefly, Aphids, Snails, Slugs, Saddleback Caterpillar, Stinging Nettle Caterpillar, Coconut Mealybug 

DISEASES

Fusarium Stem and Root Rot, Cercospora Leaf Spot, Phytophthora Leaf Spot, Southern Blight, Erwinia Blight

DEER

Resistant

There are very few totally “deer-proof” plants. There are also, relatively speaking, few plants that are considered a preferred food supply of deer. Most plants fall in the big gap between. One of the biggest variables is the available preferred food supply in a given area. If their preferred food is scarce, they will munch on most anything.

OTHER

USES

Containers – indoor and out; tropical effect, specimen plant, color accent, mass planting

TOXICITY

A search of California Poison Control, ASPCA, Texas A&M University, Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System, University of Wisconsin, Poisonous Houseplants and Ornamentals - Merck Vet Manual, Purdue University - Guide to Toxic Plants in Forages, Poisonous Plants of the Southeastern United States - Alabama Cooperative Extension, Florida Poison Control, and The Cat Fanciers Association did not show this particular cultivar plant on any of their lists.

California Poison Control lists Cordyline terminalis as non-toxic.

University of California lists Cordyline terminalis as safe.

ASPCA does list Cordyline terminalis as toxic to dogs and cats

Merck Vet Manual, Cat Fanciers Assoc., and University of Wisconsin do list Dracaena spp. as toxic to dogs and cats.