Dendroseris Litoralis - The Cabbage Tree Juan Fernández Islands Extremely Rare - 3 Seeds

Dendroseris litoralis, the cabbage tree, is a small evergreen tree species belonging to the daisy and sunflower family Asteraceae, with younger trunks ringed with pale leaf scars and distinctive rubbery, leathery leaves up to 46 centimetres (18 in) long. It is found only on the Juan Fernández Islands, west of Chile, and threatened by habitat loss. It is native only to tiny, volcanic Robinson Crusoe Island, one of the Juan Fernández Islands in the southeast Pacific, far off the coast of Chile, and home of the famed Juania australis and many other fascinating endemic plants. This strange, small tree has literally been brought back from the brink of extinction. It had been reduced to only a few individuals by feral goats on the island, and is still considered critically endangered. It grows into a small, gnarled tree with several somewhat palm-like crowns of very large, ovate leaves on whitish, green-spotted leaf stalks and pendent inflorescences of bright orange, tassel-like 'flowers' (capitula). It is easy to cultivate and enjoys a cool, humid climate. It is hardy to light freezes and coastal conditions. The very large leaves are edible and formed part of the diet of voluntary castaway Alexander Selkirk - possible inspiration for Daniel Defoe's character Robinson Crusoe - during his sojourn on one of the Juan Fernandez Islands. Conservation status : Critically Endangered