New Zealand flax

American  

noun

1. a large New Zealand plant, Phormium tenax, of the agave family, having showy, red-margined, leathery leaves and dull-red flowers, grown as an ornamental and for the fiber-yielding leaves.

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Etymology

Origin of New Zealand flax

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

Timber of excellent quality was plentiful, and it was believed that New Zealand flax promised to be of considerable commercial value.

From The Life of Captain James Cook by Kitson, Arthur

Strips of the New Zealand flax plant, Phormium tenax, are made into baskets in New Zealand.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon" by Various

New Zealand flax grows admirably in the coast region of California.

From One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered by Wickson, Edward J. (Edward James)

Shirts made of thin soft flannel, knickerbockers and Norfolk jackets of tough New Zealand flax, with gaiters of the same material.

From By Sheer Pluck, a Tale of the Ashanti War by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)

After the most exact search not a single plant of the New Zealand flax could be found, though we had been taught to believe it abounded there.

From A Narrative of the Expedition to Botany-Bay by Tench, Watkin