Ti Plant
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Baby Doll Ti Plant, Cabbage Palm, Cabbage Tree, Good-Luck Plant, Hawaiian Good Luck Plant, Hawaiian Ti Plant, Hawiian Ti and tiplant.
Ti Plant is toxic
- Toxic to cats. Toxic principle: Saponins. Clinical signs: Vomiting (occasionally with blood), depression, anorexia, hypersalivation, dilated pupils (cats). ASPCA
- Toxic to dogs. Toxic principle: Saponins. Clinical signs: Vomiting (occasionally with blood), depression, anorexia, hypersalivation, dilated pupils (cats). ASPCA
- Toxic to people. Toxic to people (low severity). NC State Extension
What the sources say about its care
Sources file this plant under other names: Cordyline terminalis. Citations below point at the name its source uses.
The sources disagree about light for this plant. Both readings are shown in the table below. This is the norm in houseplant advice rather than the exception.
- Light
The sources disagree. These do not describe the same conditions: Clemson Extension says "High light" and NC State Extension says "Dappled Sunlight, Deep shade, Partial Shade". Both are shown; this site does not pick between them.
High light 150 fcClemson Extension, filed as Cordyline terminalis · read 13 September 2026Dappled Sunlight, Deep shade, Partial ShadeNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Water
- Good Drainage, MoistNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam (Silt); pH Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- ToxicASPCA, filed as Cordyline terminalis · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- ToxicASPCA, filed as Cordyline terminalis · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- Toxic to people (low severity)NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- Water regularly, letting the plant dry a little between waterings. Water less from late fall until late winter.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Feeding several times each year also helps the plant keep its colors.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Its roots are rhizomatous, and it can be divided to propagate.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by fern scale.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Move something and watch
Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.
About the plant
Cordyline fruticosa is an evergreen flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. It is known by a wide variety of common names, including ti plant, palm lily, and cabbage palm.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Papuasia to W. PacificWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Papua New Guinea, Australia, to the Western PacificNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- shrub or treeWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Shrub, Tree; habit erect, openNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 108–180 in; width 36–96 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers purple/lavender, white; blooms in spring, summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Uses
What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.
Used for medicine, fuel and food. In Hawaiian cooking the leaves wrap food.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Other Cordyline
More of the Asparagaceae family
Asparagus fernBrown brittle margins with a green centre
Cast iron plantBlade tips go crisp and brown
DracaenaBrown tips on the newest blades first
HyacinthFlowering stops while the foliage carries on
Lucky bambooCrisp margins that appear in winter
Ponytail palmBlades hang and feel thin between the fingers
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Clemson Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.