cabbage tree

American  

noun

1. any tropical tree or treelike plant having leaves or edible shoots suggestive of cabbage.

2. an Australian palm tree of the genus Livistona, especially L. australis.

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cabbage tree British  

noun

1. Also called: ti.  a tree, Cordyline australis, of New Zealand having a tall branchless trunk and a palmlike top

2. any of several other similar trees of the genus Cordyline

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Etymology

Origin of cabbage tree

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

The pulsing melodies of bellbirds fill the air, and the view is of a valley packed with spiky cabbage trees, palms and giant tree ferns.

From The Guardian

As the helicopter darted through a small hole in the low-lying clouds, we were greeted by a riot of green, the dense beech forests punctuated with lighter-colored cabbage tree palms.

From Washington Post

Around this perfect ensemble are sprawling windbreaks of Macrocarpa, flax and cabbage tree, the iconic species utilized by early agricultural settlers in New Zealand for holding back constant gale-force winds.

From Forbes

A. oleracĕa is the cabbage tree or cabbage palm of the West Indies.

From Project Gutenberg

Australian Ti, or cabbage tree, a palm-like plant of 15 to 20 feet in height.

From Project Gutenberg