Dracaena (plant)
Genus of dragon trees and shrubs, many grown as houseplants.
The formerly accepted genera Pleomele and Sansevieria are now included in Dracaena. The name is derived from the Latinised form of the Ancient Greek δράκαινα – drakaina, meaning 'female dragon.' The majority of species are native to Africa (including the Canary Islands and Socotra), southern Asia, and northern Australia, with seven species in Hawai'i and two in tropical Central America. Many species are kept as houseplants due to tolerance of low light and sparse watering.
- Growth types
- Arborescent (tree- or shrub-like) and rhizomatous
- Family
- Asparagaceae, subfamily Convallarioideae
- Native range
- Africa (including Canary Islands and Socotra), southern Asia, northern Australia, Hawai'i, tropical Central America
- Notable species
- Dracaena cinnabari, Dracaena draco, Dracaena fragrans, Dracaena trifasciata
Lore & Background
Dracaena species exhibit two distinct growth forms. Arborescent dracaenas, such as Dracaena cinnabari and Dracaena draco, have stout above-ground stems reaching around 20 metres tall, branching from nodes after flowering or if the growth tip is severed. Rhizomatous dracaenas, including Dracaena trifasciata and Dracaena angolensis, have underground rhizomes and leaves on the surface, ranging from straplike to cylindrical. The arborescent species possess a secondary thickening meristem in their trunks, termed Dracaenoid thickening, which differs from that found in dicotyledonous plants and is shared with some members of the Agavoideae, Lomandroideae, and Xanthorrhoeoideae.
Reader's Guide
Dracaena holds significance both as a source of dragon's blood—a naturally occurring bright red resin collected from D. draco and, in ancient times, from D. cinnabari—and as a widely cultivated houseplant. Modern dragon's blood is more likely from the unrelated Calamus rattan palms. In many African societies, the resin has social functions in marking graves, sacred sites, and farm plots. As ornamentals, shrubby species such as D. fragrans, D. surculosa, D. marginata, and D. sanderiana are popular; D. sanderiana is marketed as 'lucky bamboo.' Many of these are toxic to pets, though not humans, according to the ASPCA. Dracaena houseplants like humidity and moderate watering, tolerate drought, but are vulnerable to mealybugs and scale insects. The genus has undergone taxonomic changes, with Pleomele and Sansevieria now included, and it has formerly been placed in Dracaenaceae or Agavaceae.
Did You Know?
- The name dracaena comes from the Ancient Greek δράκαινα (drakaina), meaning 'female dragon.'
- Dracaena species can be arborescent (tree-like) or rhizomatous (with underground stems).
- A bright red resin called dragon's blood is collected from Dracaena draco and, in ancient times, from Dracaena cinnabari.
- Rooted stem cuttings of Dracaena sanderiana are sold as 'lucky bamboo,' though they only superficially resemble true bamboos.
More in Ornamental & Garden Plants 1-24
Elsewhere in the Ornamental & Garden Plants universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record