Cordyline fruticosa ‘New Conga’

Cultivated background of Cordyline fruticosa ‘New Conga’

‘New Conga’ is an ornamental Cordyline fruticosa with green centres and broad cream-white leaf margins. Young plants stay compact for a long time in pots. Cordyline fruticosa develops woody branching stems with age and is native to Papuasia and the western Pacific, where it grows in humid clearings, along forest margins and in other disturbed areas.

Everyday care for Cordyline fruticosa ‘New Conga’

• Water: Small pots can dry quickly, so use both the surface and the weight of the container as cues. Water when the top is lightly dry while the mix underneath still has some moisture.
• Light: Bright filtered light keeps the cream edge clear and the crown compact. Increase direct sun slowly after a move to a brighter place.
• Temperature and humidity: Keep it above about 15°C with moderate humidity. Keep good airflow around the compact crown, especially where the leaves overlap.
• Potting mix: Choose a loose, slightly acidic mix that drains easily; bark, coconut fibre and pumice suit the fine roots.
• Water quality: Use lower-fluoride water where practical. Perlite in the mix and superphosphate fertiliser can also add fluoride.
• Feeding: Feed lightly while leaves are unfolding. From time to time, water thoroughly with plain water to reduce salt build-up. As growth slows, reduce feeding and wait a little longer between waterings.
• Structure and repotting: The short canes naturally keep the compact crowns upright. When roots fill the pot or watering becomes unusually frequent, move the plant to a slightly larger container.
• Propagation: Take a stem cutting or divide off a rooted shoot from the base to propagate the cultivar.

Problems to watch for on Cordyline fruticosa ‘New Conga’

• Cream margins turn tan and crisp: The cream parts of the leaves can be damaged by harsh sun, a dry pot, fluoride or fertiliser salts. Check what changed recently, rinse excess salts if needed and protect new leaves from strong sun.
• New leaves contain much less cream: The plant may need more light, and some variation between leaves is normal. Increase filtered light gradually. A whole shoot that stays plain green may have reverted to all-green growth and can be removed at the base.
• Silvery scars and black specks appear on emerging leaves: Check the still-folded leaves for thrips. Move an infested plant away from the collection, use a product labelled for thrips on ornamental plants and repeat it as directed on the label.
• Older leaves develop small spots with dark or purple borders: A fungal leaf spot is possible. Remove the worst affected leaves, keep the crown dry and improve airflow.
• The cane base becomes translucent, dark or soft: Rot is present. Wet or slimy decay that keeps spreading can indicate bacterial rot, so isolate and discard the plant in that case. If the damaged area is small and ends at firm, healthy tissue, cut it away with a disinfected tool before replanting the healthy section.

Cordyline fruticosa ‘New Conga’ is toxic to people and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• It contains saponins that can irritate the mouth and digestive tract.
• Chewing may cause drooling, vomiting, stomach pain, reduced appetite or weakness. Contact a veterinarian or medical professional if symptoms develop.

The meaning and history of Cordyline fruticosa

Cordyline comes from Greek kordyle, meaning club, referring to its thickened underground stems. Fruticosa means shrubby and describes its woody growth.

Robert Brown established the genus Cordyline in 1810 in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae, page 280; Philibert Commerson had proposed the name.

Carl Linnaeus first described it as Convallaria fruticosa in 1754 in Herbarium Amboinense, page 16. Auguste Jean Baptiste Chevalier later placed it in Cordyline as Cordyline fruticosa in 1919 in Catalogue des Plantes du Jardin Botanique de Saïgon, page 66.