A native of Hawaii, the “Ti Plant” (Cordyline fruticosa) is a tropical woody plant with vibrant palm-like leaves.
Also known as a good luck plant, it is commonly grown in gardens and occasionally produce clusters of flowers.
Generally, the Ti plant produces small six-petaled, star-shaped, whitish-pink flowers in long panicles in its natural habitat during spring. However, it has difficulty flowering indoors.
If you look at the small flowers individually, they are beautiful and have a distinct, sweet smell.
However, if you look at the whole inflorescence, it is not much of a show.
The plant will undoubtedly improve the appearance of your home. Let us explore the details of Ti plant flowers below.
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How Often does a Ti Plant Flower?
Ti plant is a famous indoor plant with greater cultural significance in Hawaiin culture.
People in Hawaii believe that the Ti plant leaves are connected to Lono, God of fertility, and Laka, Goddess of hula. Some also believe that they bring in good luck and fortune.
In its natural habitat, the Ti plant produces small flowers in a stalk-like inflorescence in spring that gives a mild scent.
As slow-growing plants, the Ti plants take around 15 years to mature. Only then will the plant be ready to flower.
When it is ready, it blooms in spring, whereas some people also have reported it blooming in summer.
Ti plants can bloom in the growing season in the middle of summer under ideal environmental conditions.
The flowers usually last for about 3 to 4 months, while the exact lifespan has not been mentioned.
Cordylines bloom when they are happy with the care and growing environment you provide them.
Like many tropical plants, Ti plants have a higher blooming rate in their natural habitat, so if you are trying to make indoor potted plants bloom, good luck!
These eye-catching clusters of creamy white flowers will make your Cordyline look even more beautiful.
They also produce berries with seeds which can be helpful if you want to try growing your own Cordylines from seed.
Hawaiian Ti Plant Flower Overview
A popular ornamental plant, the Hawaiian Ti plant is native to Asia, and people believe explorers brought it to Hawaii from Asian regions.
Although they are tropical plants and grow best in such areas, you can still grow them as houseplants in the temperate zone.
They can grow to the height of 10 feet while they can spread up to 4 feet. The leaves can grow up to 2 feet long and about 4 inches wide.
Mature Hawaiian Ti plants grow to produce yellowish or reddish flowers less than a half-inch clustered in conspicuous 12″ panicles.
Let’s look at the basic overview of the Hawaiian Ti Plant Flower.
| Indicator | Identity |
|---|---|
| Structure | Sessile, star-shaped flowers growing on panicles |
| Size | Half inches flowers on 1 foot long panicle |
| Color | White, pink, yellow and red |
| Fragrance | Sweet smell |
| Toxicity | Toxic to pets |
| Lifespan | 3 to 4 months |
| Fruits | Round, fleshy 1/2 inches red berries |
| Blooming Season | Spring and Summer |
The flowers have six petals, six yellow stamens, and one pistil in the middle.
An online flower portal Avas Flowers claims that there are Ti plant varieties that produce red-colored flowers as well.
One of the cultivars of Cordyline fruticosa, ‘Soledad Purple,’ produces light purple flowers.
Do you want to read about other tropical flowers? Read our article on Dragon Tree Flower, Begonia Flower, and Poinsettia Flower.
Hawaiian Ti Plant Flower Pollination
People usually induce pollination in plants with the sole aim of seed production.
The Cordyline plant attracts a few pollinator insects like bees and butterflies with its attractive flower. These insects may help this tropical plant perform pollination.
The Hawaiian Ti plant can go through cross-pollination with the help of the insects mentioned above.
The Hawaiian Ti plant flowers contain male and female organs. But many people prefer to cross-pollinate the plant to create new variations.
To manually cross-pollinate this tropical plant, follow the steps below.
- In the early morning, emasculate the flowers with loose tepals before they open.
- Disinfect all the tools you are going to use for the pollination process.
- To emasculate, take a forceps and cut all six anthers in the flower. Also, remove the buds from the flower.
- Cover the emasculated flower with a plastic bag you must remove just before pollinating.
- Collect pollen from the anthers of other flowers of the same or different plants.
- Now go back to the flower you emasculated previously and gently rub the pollen on its Stigma.
The flower will take some time to fertilize. After successful fertilization, the flower will turn into red berries. The berries will be ripe and produce viable seeds.
You can collect the seeds by crushing the ripe berries.
How to Make Ti Plants Bloom?
Hawaii Ti plant has different beautifully colored foliage that depends on your variety of plants.
Although the flower is not as beautiful as the foliage, it is still lovely on its kind.
Remember, the Hawaiian Ti plant flowers when they are happy. Therefore, you must ensure you provide them with all the care they require.
Take care of the following factors if you want to see your Hawaiian Ti plant blooming.
- Hawaiian Ti plants love a huge spike in the temperature (somewhere along 65-95°F), but they won’t be able to handle drought conditions.
- These house plants will be fine in partial shade but won’t produce flowers. Also, protect it from direct sunlight.
- Ti plants need plenty of bright indirect sunlight to bloom. The more sun the plant receives, the better because specific light intensity is required for the flowering phase to start.
- If you have placed the plant indoors but still want some flowers, provide grow lights with a 660nm wavelength.
- Water your Hawaiian Ti plants with distilled water once or every other week; be sure the soil is never too dry or wet. Additionally, ensure the pot is fully draining, or your plant will incur root rot.
- For best results, grow Ti plants in slightly acidic soil. Ensure that the soil is moist most of the time.
- As a foliage plant, you can spray with 20-10-20 plant food fertilizer to this plant. However, if you want to induce flowering, you must provide fertilizer with more phosphorus.
- Fertilize the plant once every month during its active flowering season, i.e., spring and summer, and once every two months during winter.
Tip: If you want to see your Hawaiian Ti plant flowering, you should consider moving them outdoors during spring.
- Arrange the light and watering according to the striations on the plant. Plant with more variegations will need more bright light.
- If you live in the USDA zones 10-12, you will have a better chance to see your plant flower.
- If Hawaii Ti plants are damaged by frost during the winter, they might not bloom. Before winter arrives, bring any potted Cordylines indoors to prevent plant damage.
Keep an eye on pests like spider mites and fungal plant diseases like root rot regularly as they may hinder your Ti plant’s ability to flower. Provide better focus to Ti plant care.
To get a better perspective, watch this video.
What Should you do with Hawaiian Ti Plant Blooms?
Hawaiian Ti plant is a popular household with uniquely colored foliage and average flowers.
However, the individual flowers may grab your attention. The fully opened, cute, small flowers are a treat to the eyes.
Do not worry; even if you want to cut it, you are doing nothing wrong.
Look below for the reasons to consider cutting the flower off the plant.
- The blooms of the Ti plants will suck off the nutrients directed towards the foliage; this will hurt the growth of leaves.
- Ti plants flowers’ appearance may blemish the beautiful look of the leaves.
- I cut the flowers because cutting them will boost the growth of new leaves and stem of the plant.
However, cutting the flower off is not mandatory. You can let the flowers bloom and fall off on their own.
This way, you will be able to collect seeds for further use.
How to Trim Hawaiian Ti Plant Flowers?
You must do it properly if you want to cut the flowers off the Ti plant. Follow the steps below to ensure the proper cutting of the flowers.
- Disinfect the tools you are going to use for the cutting process. Cut the flower early in the morning.
- You can cut fresh flowers or cut them after they are dead. So look for the flowers you want to cut.
- Grab the inflorescence by its peduncle and cut it a few inches above its connected stem.
- As the flowering in this plant is rare, you may as well deadhead the plant entirely to save energy.
- Grabbing the plant by hand and pulling it can be tiring, and you may also hurt your hands.
- Follow the above process carefully, and do not hurt the beautiful leaves of your Ti plant.
After trimming the flowers, discard them altogether if you have no use for them, or you can keep them in a flowering pot or a vase as the flower signifies good luck.
Uses of Ti Plant Flowers
Ti plant has a lot of uses and religious significance, most signified by the Hawaiin people.
Its flower also has certain uses and benefits that can be beneficial for humans.
Let’s look at a few of the benefits below.
- Ti plant flowers can be used as a traditional herbal treatment for asthma.
- The flowers contain anthocyanins with antidiabetic, anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-obesity, and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Flowers of Ti plant are used for decoration purposes.
- People consider rope made out of Ti plant leaves to be masculine. They add Hawaiin Ti plant flowers to them to give them a feminine touch.
- Few people weave a necklace out of the Ti plant flowers and consider it to symbolize strength, good luck, and fortune.
Health Considerations to Keep in Mind
As they say, “Beauty always comes with a price” Ti plant also strictly follows it with beautiful foliage that is toxic.
According to ASPCA, the Hawaiian Ti plant contains saponins which makes it toxic to dogs and cats.
The saponins in the Ti plant can hurt your pets and induce the following symptoms.
- Vomit with blood
- Anorexia
- Extreme drooling
- Dilated pupils in cats
- Depression
Saponin is usually beneficial for plants but is harmful to pets and humans.
This harmful chemical can cause gastrointestinal problems in humans and may even lead to kidney failure.
If you ever come across any plant problems, make sure you return to the numbers mentioned below.
- Pet poison helpline – 1 (855) 764-7661
- American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) – (800) 222-1222
- The Animal Poison Control Center of the ASPCA – (800)426-4435
Conclusion
The Hawaiin Ti plant flower is an evergreen plant with many cultural and religious significance worldwide, especially in Hawaii.
It is a good plant to grow indoors and is not hard to care for. You can tend to this plant’s needs even while sipping on your afternoon ‘Ti’😉
You may want to look at other purple plants. Read our article “30 Impressive Purple Plants For Indoor Garden.”
