THE LILY FAMILY 95 



strangely tropical appearance. It is one of the largest of the 

 liliaceous plants. Colenso states that he once saw a specimen, 



Fig. 23. Cordyline australis (flower and leaf) i nat. size. 



the trunk of which was sufficiently large to be used as a store- 

 room. A Maori had fitted a door into the trunk, and kept his 

 tools and baskets within it, though the tree was still living. 



