Noun
New Zealand flax (uncountable)
Plants native to New Zealand with fiber in the leaves which was formerly much used for rope and other purposes; Phormium tenax and Phormium colensoi or Phomium cookianum.
An experiment in 1874 to produce flax from Phomium Tenax (New Zealand flax) failed (the cultivation of flax recommenced in 1907 and eventually became the island’s largest export). Source: Internet