Cordyline fruticosa, commonly known as ti, ti plant, cabbage tree or cordyline, is a broadleaf evergreen. Outdoors, the ti plant grows as a shrub or small tree up to 10 feet tall, as a houseplant, it generally remains between 3 and 6 feet tall.
Cordyline (Botanical Name: C. terminalis) are common decorative plants that thrive outdoors, but also make excellent houseplants. The name Cordyline originates from Greek; the word kordyle, meaning "club," is a reference to the plant's enlarged underground stems. Cordyline typically has leathery leaves shaped like a spear or lance with a variety of coloring including green, red, yellow, white, purple, and purplish-red. Caring for these plants indoors is simple and straightforward, but they must be kept warm and they need a lot of light. Some species in this group have fragrant flowers followed by berries. The plant will produce white to pale lavender flowers that are cup-shaped and sweet-smelling. They bloom in early summer and then small berries will appear after the flowers. It's more typical for flowering to occur in outdoor varieties, but flowers can appear on houseplants.
Ti plants should be watered when a surface of a potting mix feels dry to a touch. Cut back on watering during a winter months when a plant goes dormant. Be sure a container has a drainage hole in a bottom. Fungal diseases such as fusarium leaf spot can cause yellowing plant leaves.
Make judicious cuts to encourage new growth. Cut just before a leaf node. Or when cutting back larger stems, cut as close to the main stem as possible.
