Harakeke - Phormium tenax

Harakeke (New Zealand flax, or Phormium tenax) is the plant at the heart of Māori weaving. Read an overview of its cultivation, symbolism, and harvesting.

The name flax comes from the fact that the long fibres extracted from the leaves are used in much the same way as those in linen flax (Linum usitatissimum) are used in the northern hemisphere.