Dracaena

dracaena

( druh - SEE - nuh )

At-A-Glance Information

This genus of trees and succulent shrubs includes species native to Africa, southern Asia, northern Australia and tropical areas of Central America. Many species are kept as houseplants in temperate zones, due to their ease of growing and low water needs. Outdoors, these plants are used as focal points, in container gardens, along walkways, and even for privacy screening or wind breaks. Take care when planting Dracaena in the landscape or keeping them indoors, as plant parts are toxic to pets if ingested.

Dracaena Species and Varietals

the genus Dracaena is a member of the plant family Asparagaceae, and includes between 200 and 220 species. Some species in the genus were transferred in 2017 from the now defunct genus Sanseveria. These plants generally are suited to tropical areas, and grow well in USDA hardiness zones 10-12. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.

Dracaena aethiopica (Sanseveria aethiopica) (Snake Plant, Mother-In-Law's Tongue, Bowstring Hemp)
This South African native plant grows well in dry shrublands and desert regions. These plants form a basal rosette of foliage that can reach a little over 2 feet tall, and spread over time via underground rhizome roots to form clumps.

Dracaena americana (Central American Dragon Tree, Candlewood)
This tree-like species is native to South America and reaches about 40 feet tall in its natural habitat. Green, strappy leaves are soft and borne along stems. Flowers are cream-white and bloom in springtime. Fruits are yellow to red in color, and appear in fall after blooms have faded away. Cultivated as an ornamental.

Dracaena angolensis (Sanseveria cylindrica) (African Spear, Spear Sanseveria, Cylindrical Snake Plant, Starfish Sanseveria, Dragon Fingers)
This succulent plant is native to South Africa. Leaves are cylindrical, smooth, and greenish-grey, sprouting from a basal rosette, and have light green striping. Flowers are greenish-yellow, tubular, and slender, appearing along the flower stalk.

Dracaena angustifolia (Narrow-Leaf Dragon Tree, Narrow Leaf Pleomele, Suji, Soap Tree, Dragon's Blood Palm, Nam Ginseng)
This species of Dracaena is native to Asia's tropical forests, and produces a shrubby plant that reaches just under 10 feet tall at maturity. Leaves are used to make a natural green food coloring. Flowers are yellow. These plants are sometimes grown as hedges.

Dracaena arborea (Tree Dracaena, African Dragon Tree, Slender Tragon Tree, Tall Dragon Plant)
This species is native to central and west tropical Africa, and is used as a street tree in many areas in Africa and Brazil. These trees can reach 100 feet tall, and has a greyish trunk. Leaves are green and strappy, and flowers produced bloom on large panicles. These trees are planted around burial sites to demarcate boundaries, and are also used as landscape ornamentals. This species does well in USDA hardiness zones 9b-11.

Dracaena ballyi (Sanseveria ballyi) (Dwarf Snake Plant, Dwarf Mother-in-Law's Tongue)
This species of succulent plant is native to Tanzania and Kenya, and produces a small rosette of green leaves that are banded with color and have sharp tips. This species was originally collected by Peter Bally in 1963 and was named for him. These plants are widely cultivated as indoor specimens. Individual plants reach up to 5-10 inches at maturity.

Dracaena braunii (Lucky Bamboo, Chinese Water Bamboo, Friendship Bamboo, Ribbon Plant, Ribbon Dracaena, Curly Bamboo)
This species of flowering plant was named after its collector, Johannes Braun. These plants are commonly confused with Dracaena sanderiana, or Lucky Bamboo. These plants form extensive, thick carpets and occasional shrublets with flat green leaves. Roots are bright orange-red in color. Individual plants reach up to between 1 and 5 feet tall when mature.

Dracaena cinnabari (Socotra Dragon Tree, Dragon Blood Tree)
This species is native to Yemen, and forms an umbrella-shaped tree that reaches between 30 and 40 feet tall at maturity. The common name Dragon Blood Tree refers to the red sap that the trees produce. These are very interesting trees; all leaves are shed simultaneously every 3-4 years, and a whole new canopy of leaves is produced.

Dracaena fragrans (Cornstalk Dracaena, Striped Dracaena, Compact Dracaena, Corn Plant, Dragon Tree)
This species of Dracaena is native to tropical Africa, and forms a slow-growing, multi-stemmed shrub that can reach 50 feet tall or more at maturity. Leaves are glossy and green, and flowers are white. Plants will branch each time flowering fades, forming new branches at tips where blooms were. Flowers are white and fragrant, and fruit that follows is shiny and white to pink. Plants in this species are popular houseplants, and cultivars include:

'Dorado'
With dark green foliage that has wide, lime-green margins.

'Golden Coast'
With bright, light green foliage.

'Hawaiian Sunshine'
A compact variety with glossy leaves.

'Janet Craig'
Solid, dark green glossy leaves.

'Lemon Lime'
With striking foliage that has bright lime green and cream-white stripes.

'Massangeana' (Mass Cane)
Common variety featuring bright yellow-chartreuse striping.

'Warneckii'
With stiff, pointed leaves that have white to silver stripes.

'White Jewel'
Deep green leaves have white stripes.

Dracaena draco (Canary Islands Dragon Tree, Drago, Dragon's Blood Tree)
This tree is native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, Morocco, and the Azores. This evergreen tree species has rough bark and for the first 10-15 years of its life is a single-stalked plant. At the end of this period, it produces a flower spike that is followed by coral berries. The plant then begins to grow into a canopy tree, producing branches after flowering periods. It is a slow-grower, commonly taking around 10 years to reach just 4 feet tall.

Dracaena eilensis (Sanseveria eilensis) (Somali Snake Plant)
This interesting succulent species is native to a very small region in Somalia near the town of Eyl. Leaves are light blue green, typically with striping. Mature plants have 2-3 leaves marked with longitudinal lines that mark where leaves will fold in or swell in response to drought or water saturation. These plants can reach up to about five inches tall when mature.

Dracaena ellenbeckiana (Kedong Dragon Tree)
These plants reach about 6.5-26 feet tall at maturity. They are very drought-tolerant, dealing with alternating years of dry and wet weather in their native range (Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda). Often seen as a multitrunked tree with trunks sprouting from a central point. Great as a houseplant.

Dracaena goldieana (Queen of Dracaenas, Zebra Striped Dragon Tree, Green Zebra Plant, Goldie's Dracaena)
This species is widely cultivated as an ornamental houseplant, valued for its richly variegated foliage. Leaves are dark green and mottled with light grey markings. These plants are native to Central Africa and Nigeria and grow well in USDA hardiness zones 10-12.

Dracaena hanningtonii (Sanseveria ehrenbergii) (Blue Sanseveria, Sword Sanseveria, Oldupai, East African Wild Sisal, Samurai Sanseveria)
This species is native to eastern Africa's tropical areas. These plants form a fan-shaped row of foliage sprouting from a central point. Leaves are green. These plants form offsets, which grow into new plants and create a dense cluster of foliage close to the ground. Individual plants reach about 3-4 feet tall.

Dracaena kaweesakii (Chan Nuu, Chan Pha Krai, Kaweesak's Dragon Tree, The Mother of Dragons)
These trees exhibit the extensive branching system unique to Dragon Trees. Flowers are yellow to cream-white colored. These trees can reach about 40 feet tall at maturity and their canopies can stretch to be just as wide. The species is suited for USDA hardiness zones 10-12.

Dracaena mannii (Small-Leaved Dragon Tree, Mann's Dragon Tree, Kleinblaardrakeboom, Umbrella Dragon Tree, Dragonblood)
Native to tropical areas along coastlines on the African continent, this species forms a tree that can sprout stilt roots. It is found along riverbanks or coastal dunes, and can reach up to 100 feet tall in its natural habitat.

Dracaena masoniana (Sanseveria masoniana) (Whale Fin Dracaena, Shark's Fin, Whale Fin, Mason's Congo)
This species of low-growing Dracaena is native to Africa, and is commonly grown as a houseplant due to its striking blue-green foliage. As an indoor plant, these are commonly grown as one stiff leaf in a pot, and require bright filtered light and infrequent watering. To 3-5 feet tall at maturity.

Dracaena ombet (Gabal Elba Dragon Tree, Somalian Dragon Tree, Nubian Dragon Tree)
This species is found in northeast Africa and the western Arabian Peninsula. Foliage is grey-green and has pointed tips. These trees can reach between 6.5 and 26 feet tall at maturity. Flowers are white, and are followed by berries.

Dracaena pethera (Star Sansevieria, Star Snake Plant, Pangane Sansevieria, Bowstring Hemp)
Native to eastern Africa, these interesting ground-level plants produce succulent leaves with wavy edges. Flowers are greenish white and fragrant, and many are carried on a single inflorescence. 'Coppertone' (pictured) is a popular variegated cultivar of the species.

Dracaena reflexa (Song of India, Song of Jamaica, Pleomele, Ribbon Plant)
Native to tropical areas surrounding the Indian Ocean, this species is valued as a houseplant and ornamental landscaping plant. Leaves are thick, green and evergreen, and trees can reach between 10 and 20 feet tall (in their native range), though they are commonly seen as houseplants that reach around 6 feet tall. Cultivars have variegated foliage.

Dracaena sanderiana (Lucky Bamboo, Ribbon Dracaena, Ribbon Plant, Sander's Dracaena, Goddess of Mercy's Plant, Belgian Evergreen)
This commonly cultivated species is popular as a houseplant, and is regularly sold as bare-root specimens in water. Keep out of direct sunlight, as leaves can burn. If planted in the ground, these plants will lose their bamboo look and take on a more classic Dracaena appearance with strappy leaves. Cultivars of the species include 'Silver Ribbon' (with white to silver margins), 'White Stripe' (with white variegation), and 'Yellow Ribbon' (with yellow to gold stripes on foliage).

Dracaena singularis (Sanseveria singularis) (Snake Plant)
This interesting species forms colonies of single stemmed plants. Leaves are green, upright and succulent and can reach just under 6 feet tall at maturity. Snake Plants can be grown in the ground, but are also commonly grown in containers or indoors as houseplants. They provide an architectural aspect to both indoor and outdoor spaces.

Dracaena spathulata (Sanseveria concinna)
This species is native to South Africa, where it grows in sandy soils under the shade of trees in coastal forests. Individual plants can reach up to between 6 and 12 inches tall. Foliage is green and lanceolate as well as slightly recurving.

Dracaena surculosa (Gold Dust Dracaena, Spotted Dracaena, Gold Dust Plant, Florida Beauty, Japanese Bamboo, Spotted-Leaf Dracaena)
This species of Dracaena is native to west and west-central Africa. It takes the form of a branched small tree with green or variegated flat leaves (depending on the varietal). Flowers are greenish white. Fruits that follow blooms are red to orange, shiny and round. A popularly grown variety is 'Florida Beauty'. These shrubby plants reach up to 6 feet tall in the ground and 2-3 feet tall in properly sized containers.

Dracaena tamaranae (Drago de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria Dragon Tree)
This species is closely related to the Dragon Tree species, and has rigid, ribbed leaves and grey to yellowish bark. It forms a tree that can reach about 26 feet tall at maturity. It is similar to Dracaena draco (Tenerife Dragon Tree), but produces stiffer, bluish-grey leaves.

Dracaena trifasciata (Sanseveria trifasciata) (Snake Plant, Saint George's Sword, Mother-In-Law's Tongue, Viper's Bowstring Hemp)
This species was formerly the type species for Sanseveria, a genus whose entire species list was moved into Dracaena in 2017. These plants are commonly kept houseplants, and are easy to care for, requiring little light and water to survive. They spread via creeping rhizomes, sometimes located above-ground, and leaves are dark green to grey green in the straight species. There are many cultivars, including those listed below:

'Bantel's Sensation'

'Compacta'

'Golden Hahnii'

'Goldiana'

'Hahnii'

'Laurentii'

'Silbersee'

'Silver Hahnii'

Caring for Dracaena

Take care when planting Dracaena in the landscape or keeping them indoors, as plant parts are toxic to pets if ingested. Dracaena trees prefer to grow in warm, tropical climates, and will need to be grown indoors in temperate zones. In USDA hardiness zones 10-12, pick a spot in the landscape that receives partial shade. An area that receives 2-4 hours of morning sun is ideal. Soil should be in the pH range of 6.0 to 6.5 (slightly acidic). If soil is clayey, amend before planting with sand and organic material to make it lighter, or simply grow in a container filled with very well-draining potting mix. Minimize or avoid using perlite to lighten soil, as it can cause fluoride toxicity and yellowing leaves. After planting, apply a layer of organic mulch around the base of the tree to help suppress weed growth and regulate soil temperature. Keep the mulch several inches away from the trunk to prevent it rotting out.

Fertilize yearly in early springtime with an application of 2 inches of compost around the base of plants. Pull mulch back before applying, work the compost gently into the soil a bit, water it in, and then replace mulch. Pruning is minimal for these trees. Simply remove any dead or yellowing leaves as needed, and trim back any damaged or unsightly growth to maintain a tidy appearance. These plants will naturally grow into naked-stalked tree-like forms, which can be pruned back hard in springtime just above a leaf node to encourage lower growth. Dracaena plants will live for decades in their native environments before needing to be replaced.

Caring for Dracaena Indoors
Place your Dracaena in an area of the home that gets bright indirect light and protection from direct afternoon sun. These plants prefer a temperature of between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and can tolerate occasional drops in temperature, though prefer those above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that soil is well-draining. Water your plant thoroughly when the top inch or two of soil dries out, and allow excess water to drain completely. Avoid watering with high-fluoride water. These plants don't need to be repotted frequently, and actually perform well with slightly crowded roots. Repot every 2-3 years or when the plant's roots are growing through the bottom of the pot. Use a slightly larger pot with good drainage. Remove dead, damaged, or yellowing foliage as necessary to maintain a tidy appearance.

Propagation

Dracaena plants are most successfully propagated by stem cuttings. To propagate your Dracaena, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Dracaena by Cutting

Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. A good substrate for propagation of cuttings is a light blend of 1/3 pasteurized soil or compost, 1/3 sand, vermiculite or perlite, and 1/3 coconut coir or peat moss.
In late summer or early fall, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that the plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances the cutting will take root. Cut one or more 4 to 6 inch portion(s) of the end of a stem and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. It should be kept in warm, sunny conditions in a protected area. Water whenever the soil is dry under the top layer. After about three to eight weeks have passed, the cutting should be rooted. New growth indicates the formation of roots.
Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when the seedling can be hardened off and then planted outdoors.