Both of these species top out at around 30 feet in Southern California. New Zealand flax (Phormium) is a clumping plant with swordlike leaves that reach 9 feet in length in some cultivars.

Pale clumps of tussock grass grow on the ground, along with New Zealand flax and thorny matagouri bushes. A Powelliphanta slithers across the path, a giant snail with a shell up to nine ...