Phormium tenax

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Flax-plant \Flax"-plant`\, n. (Bot.)
   A plant in new Zealand ({Phormium tenax}), allied to the
   lilies and aloes. The leaves are two inches wide and several
   feet long, and furnish a fiber which is used for making
   ropes, mats, and coarse cloth.
   [1913 Webster]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

New Zealand \New` Zea"land\
   A group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean.
   [1913 Webster]

   {New Zealand flax}.
   (a) (Bot.) A tall, liliaceous herb ({Phormium tenax}), having
       very long, sword-shaped, distichous leaves which furnish
       a fine, strong fiber very valuable for cordage and the
       like.
   (b) The fiber itself.

   {New Zealand tea} (Bot.), a myrtaceous shrub ({Leptospermum
      scoparium}) of New Zealand and Australia, the leaves of
      which are used as a substitute for tea.
      [1913 Webster]

from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

Phormium \Phor"mi*um\, n. [NL. fr. Gr. ? a plaited mat, a kind
   of plant.] (Bot.)
   A genus of liliaceous plants, consisting of one species
   ({Phormium tenax}). See {Flax-plant}.
   [1913 Webster]