Plant height — Cordyline

When assessing the height of Cordyline, measurements are taken from the level of the substrate surface to the tip of the tallest intact leaf. To obtain reliable data for cultivar trials, recordings are made regularly, as the crop exhibits pronounced phenotypic plasticity and is dependent on light intensity, temperature regime, and nutritional quality.

The height range varies from dwarf forms of less than 1 meter to tree-like specimens reaching 3–6 meters in open ground. Under container cultivation conditions, vertical growth is usually limited by the root system volume and does not exceed 1–2 meters. To control vertical development and stimulate branching, agronomists apply apical meristem pruning.