Plagianthus regius aka Manatu

Plagianthus regius is a tree from New Zealand. Its range also includes the Chatham Islands. It belongs to Malvaceae, the mallow family. Common names include ribbonwood, ribbon tree and New Zealand lacebark tree. The RHS also calls it New Zealand cotton tree. An older scientific name is Plagianthus betulinus. It grows in lowland forests on North and South Islands. Its forest range also covers Stewart and Chatham Islands.

Plants For A Future gives a height of 59 feet [18 metres]. It describes the tree as deciduous, but also reports year-round leaves. These conflicting notes leave its leaf season unclear. The source gives May as its flowering month. Its flowers have both male and female organs. The supplied accounts give no details about fruit or flower colour. They also give no crown width or leaf shape. In gardens, the tree can form part of a woodland canopy.

Choose a sunny site with deep, fertile soil. The soil should hold moisture but let excess water drain. A good supply of humus suits this tree. It can grow in sand, loam or clay. It also accepts mildly acid, neutral and mildly alkaline soils. Shade does not suit it. Plants For A Future lists USDA zones 7–10. Yet it warns that British winters can limit outdoor growth. Milder parts of Britain offer better conditions. Cold tolerance varies with the seed's place of origin.

The inner bark yields fibre for rope and twine. This fibre can also take the place of raffia. The tree has ornamental value as well as practical uses. Plants For A Future records no known food or medicinal uses. It also lists no known hazards. That statement does not establish safety for eating or for pets. The supplied species evidence names no particular pests or diseases. Trees can seed themselves in Cornwall, though the source does not class them as weeds.

Seed, cuttings and layering offer ways to raise new plants. Sow fresh seed under glass in autumn. Stored seed can go under glass in early spring. Seed usually sprouts well, according to Plants For A Future. Give young plants separate pots once large enough to handle. Keep them under glass through at least their first winter. Plant out after frost risk passes in late spring or early summer. Half-ripe cuttings with a heel can root in a frame.