A dwarf, compact Cordyline with striking, sword-like, red-bronze leaves. A cabbage tree that fits in a pot. The leaves are long and narrow, up to 60 centimetres in length, with a smooth, leathery texture. The colour is a rich red-bronze, most intense in full sun. In shade, the leaves may fade to a greenish-bronze. A plant that changes colour with the light. The plant forms a tidy, multi-stemmed clump that rarely reaches the size of the common cabbage tree (Cordyline australis). The stems are slender and upright, branching at the base to create a bushy, compact form. The overall shape is star-like, with leaves radiating from the centre of each stem. A plant that looks like a star. Red Star Cabbage Tree is extremely hardy, tolerating drought, wind, salt spray and frost. It is perfect for modern landscapes, coastal gardens, containers and mass plantings. The dramatic colour provides a bold accent in any garden setting. A plant that asks for little. The cultivar was selected for its compact, dwarf form and rich red-bronze colour. The parent species, Cordyline australis, is a common tree throughout New Zealand, but this cultivar was bred for garden use, selected for its smaller size and more intense colour. To find Red Star Cabbage Tree is to look in gardens and landscapes throughout New Zealand. It is a plant of cultivation, not of the wild. The pot is small. The red star grows, red-bronze leaves radiating, compact and tidy. It does not know it was bred for gardens. It does not know it has a name. It just grows. That is what it was made to do.