ti-treen.
/ˈtiːtriː/, U.S. /ˈtiˌtri/ Originally New Zealand.
Any of the trees and shrubs of the genus Cordyline (family Asparagaceae), native to New Zealand and some other parts of Australasia, and typically having cane-like stems and long, narrow leaves. Cf. ti n.2Also called cabbage tree, cabbage palm.Also confused with tea tree n. 2 and erroneously used for species of Melaleuca.
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the world > plants > particular plants > trees and shrubs > non-British trees or shrubs > [noun] > palm-lily
cabbage tree1769
ti-tree1820
ti1832
cordyline1866
club palm1884
palm lily1884
1820 T. Kendall & S. Lee Gram. & Vocab. Lang. N.Z. 181 Me Tí; Sleeping on the Tee-tree.
1864 R. Anderson Hawaiian Islands vii. 134 Then came gigantic ferns, and an extensive tract covered with the ti trees.
1890 W. Colenso in Trans. & Proc. N.Z. Inst. 1890 (1891) 23 486 In these plains stand a number of cabbage-trees, the ti-trees of the Maori.
1912 J. H. Maiden Let. 20 Aug. The name Ti-tree belongs to New Zealand Cordyline. For nearly 30 years I have endeavoured by precept and example to stamp out the name Ti-tree for Australian Tea-trees, but the error is full of vitality.
1969 N. Hilliard Night at Green River 55 There was always something in the big black pot, even if it was only the sour core of the titree to eat with karawakas from the creek.
2010 R. Rogers Encycl. Container Plants 142/2 Another cordyline that looks familiar to many people is C. fruticosa (aka C. terminalis)..: the ti or good luck tree is widely grown as a houseplant.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2019; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1820