Note 2 — A SOUTHERN CROSS FAIRY TALE.
Reading edition
The Cabbage-tree (Cordyline australis) is a characteristic feature in New Zealand landscapes. It receives its name from the arrangement of its leaves in tufts or heads at the ends of the branches. The tree may reach forty feet in height, and the tufts of stiff and sword-shaped leaves at the ends of the not very numerous branches gives it a peculiarly picturesque appearance. It is a member of the Lily order, and bears in the spring, feathery masses of small, white and sweet-scented flowers.—A. P. W. Thomas, M.A., F.L.S., F.G.S.