in botany, any of the tropical trees and shrubs of the genus Cordyline of the family Laxmanniaceae, native to Asia and some Pacific islands. Many are grown as ornamental plants. Ti, or ti tree (C. australis), is sometimes sold as C. indivisa or Dracaena australis. In the wild it is a tree up to about 12 metres (40 feet) tall with a crown of long leaves, but it is much shorter when grown as a houseplant. It also is known as tuft tree, or cabbage tree, because of its rosette of leaves. It has green or white flowers and thick roots. The fruit is a berry.