''Dracaena'' () is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of about 120

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s and

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s. The formerly accepted genera ''

Pleomele Pleomele is used a common name for several cultivated ornamental plants and may refer to: * Species of ''Pleomele'' (genus), a former plant genus in the family Ruscaceae now included in '' Dracaena'' * ''Dracaena reflexa ''Dracaena reflexa'' (co ...

'' and ''

Sansevieria ''Sansevieria'' is a historically recognized genus of flowering plants, native to Africa, notably Madagascar, and southern Asia, now included in the genus '' Dracaena'' on the basis of molecular phylogenetic studies. Common names for the 70 or s ...

'' are now included in ''Dracaena''. In the APG IV classification system, it is placed in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Asparagaceae Asparagaceae, known as the asparagus family, is a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots. The family name is based on the edible garden asparagus, ''Asparagus officinalis''. Those who live in the temperate c ...

, subfamily

Nolinoideae Nolinoideae is a monocot subfamily of the family (biology), family Asparagaceae in the APG III system of 2009. It used to be treated as a separate family, Ruscaceae sensu lato, s.l. The family name is derived from the Binomial nomenclature, gener ...

(formerly the family Ruscaceae). It has also formerly been separated (sometimes with ''

Cordyline ''Cordyline'' is a genus of about 15 species of woody monocotyledonous flowering plants in family Asparagaceae, subfamily Lomandroideae. The subfamily has previously been treated as a separate family Laxmanniaceae, or Lomandraceae. Other authors ...

'') into the family Dracaenaceae or placed in the Agavaceae (now

Agavoideae Agavoideae is a subfamily of monocot flowering plants in the family Asparagaceae, order Asparagales. It has previously been treated as a separate family, Agavaceae. The group includes many well-known desert and dry-zone types, such as the agave ...

). The name ''dracaena'' is derived from the romanized form of the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

– ''drakaina'', "female dragon". The majority of the species are

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

to Africa, southern Asia through to northern Australia, with two species in tropical Central America.

Description

Species of ''Dracaena'' have a secondary thickening

meristem The meristem is a type of tissue found in plants. It consists of undifferentiated cells (meristematic cells) capable of cell division. Cells in the meristem can develop into all the other tissues and organs that occur in plants. These cells conti ...

in their trunk, termed Dracaenoid thickening by some authors, which is quite different from the thickening meristem found in

dicot The dicotyledons, also known as dicots (or, more rarely, dicotyls), are one of the two groups into which all the flowering plants (angiosperms) were formerly divided. The name refers to one of the typical characteristics of the group: namely, t ...

yledonous plants. This characteristic is shared with members of the

and

Xanthorrhoeoideae ''Xanthorrhoea'' () is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants endemic to Australia. Species are known by the name grass tree. Description All are perennials and have a secondary thickening meristem in the stem. Many, but not all, sp ...

among other members of the

Asparagales Asparagales (asparagoid lilies) is an order (biology), order of plants in modern classification systems such as the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) and the Angiosperm Phylogeny Web. The order takes its name from the type (biology), type family ...

. ''Dracaena'' species can be classified in two growth types: treelike dracaenas (''

Dracaena fragrans ''Dracaena fragrans'' (cornstalk dracaena), is a flowering plant species that is native throughout tropical Africa, from Sudan south to Mozambique, west to Côte d'Ivoire and southwest to Angola, growing in upland regions at altitude.JSTOR Plant ...

'', ''

Dracaena draco ''Dracaena draco'', the Canary Islands dragon tree or drago, is a subtropical tree in the genus '' Dracaena'', native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, western Morocco, and is thought to be introduced in the Azores. Its closest living ...

'', ''

Dracaena cinnabari ''Dracaena cinnabari'', the Socotra dragon tree or dragon blood tree, is a dragon tree native to the Socotra archipelago, part of Yemen, located in the Arabian Sea. It is named after the blood-like color of the red sap that the trees produce. ...

''), which have aboveground stems that branch from nodes after flowering, or if the growth tip is severed, and rhizomatous dracaenas (''

Dracaena trifasciata ''Dracaena trifasciata'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to tropical West Africa from Nigeria east to the Congo. It is most commonly known as the snake plant, Saint George's sword, mother-in-law's tongue, and ...

'', ''

Dracaena angolensis ''Dracaena angolensis'', synonym ''Sansevieria cylindrica'', also known as the cylindrical snake plant, African spear or spear sansevieria or in Brazil Saint Bárbara sword, is a succulent plant native to Angola. Formerly in the genus '' Sans ...

''), which have underground

rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

and leaves on the surface (ranging from straplike to cylindrical). Many species of ''Dracaena'' are kept as houseplants due to tolerance of lower light and sparse watering. File:Socotra dragon tree.JPG, ''

'' File:Dracaena draco (L.) L.jpg , ''

'' File:Dracaena ellenbeckiana - Jardín Botánico Canario Viera y Clavijo - Gran Canaria.jpg, ''

Dracaena ellenbeckiana ''Dracaena ellenbeckiana'' is a species of plant belonging to the Asparagaceae family, subfamily Nolinoideae Nolinoideae is a monocot subfamily of the family Asparagaceae in the APG III system of 2009. It used to be treated as a separate fami ...

'' File:Colpfl26.jpg, ''

'' File:Dracaena reflexa.JPG, ''

Dracaena reflexa ''Dracaena reflexa'' (commonly called song of India or song of Jamaica) is a tree native to Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, and other nearby islands of the Indian Ocean. It is widely grown as an ornamental plant and houseplant, valued for its ...

'' File:LuckyBamboo 2005 SeanMcClean.jpg, '' Dracaena sanderiana'' File:Dracaena surculosa.jpg, '' Dracaena surculosa'' File:Dracaena tamaranae1.jpg, '' Dracaena tamaranae'' - native to

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, an archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa which is part of Spain. the island had a population of that co ...

File:Snake_Plant_(Sansevieria_trifasciata)_with_fruit_1.jpg , ''

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...

'' currently includes: * '' Dracaena acaulis'' Baker * '' Dracaena acutissima'' Hua * '' Dracaena adamii'' Hepper * '' Dracaena aethiopica'' (Thunb.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena afromontana'' Mildbr. * ''

Dracaena aletriformis ''Dracaena aletriformis'' is commonly known as the large-leaved dragon tree. These plants are found in forest in the eastern areas of South Africa from Port Elizabeth to northern and eastern Limpopo. They are also found in Eswatini, but are mo ...

'' (Haw.) Bos ( syn. ''D. latifolia'') * '' Dracaena americana'' Donn.Sm. – Central America dragon tree * ''

'' (Welw. ex Carrière) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena angustifolia'' (Medik.) Roxb. ( syn. ''D. australasica'', ''D. ensiformis'', ''D. fruticosa'', ''D. linearifolia'', ''D. menglaensis'') * '' Dracaena arborea'' (Willd.) Link * '' Dracaena arborescens'' (Cornu ex Gérôme & Labroy) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena ascendens'' (L.E.Newton) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena aubryana'' Brongn. ex É.Morren ( syn. ''D. thalioides'') * '' Dracaena aubrytiana'' (Carrière) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena aurea'' H.Mann * '' Dracaena bacularis'' (Pfennig ex A.Butler & Jankalski) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena bagamoyensis'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena ballyi'' (L.E.Newton) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena bhitalae'' (Webb & Newton) Takaw.-Ny. & Mucina * '' Dracaena bicolor'' Hook. * '' Dracaena borneensis'' (Merr.) Jankalski * '' Dracaena brachyphylla'' Kurz * '' Dracaena braunii'' Engl. ( syn. ''D. litoralis'') * '' Dracaena breviflora'' Ridl. * '' Dracaena bueana'' Engl. * '' Dracaena bugandana'' Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena bukedea'' Takaw.-Ny. & Mucina * '' Dracaena burdettii'' (Chahin.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena burmanica'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena bushii'' Damen * '' Dracaena calocephala'' Bos * '' Dracaena cambodiana'' Pierre ex Gagnep. * '' Dracaena camerooniana'' Baker * '' Dracaena canaliculata'' (Carrière) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena cantleyi'' Baker * '' Dracaena caulescens'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena cerasifera'' Hua * '' Dracaena chahinianii'' (Webb & Myklebust) Takaw.-Ny. & Mucina * '' Dracaena chiniana'' I.M.Turner * '' Dracaena cincta'' Baker * ''

'' Balf.f. – Socotra dragon tree * ''

Dracaena cochinchinensis ''Dracaena cochinchinensis'' is a species of Asian tropical forest under-storey plants in the family Asparagaceae; no subspecies are listed in the Catalogue of Life. Distribution and description The recorded distribution is from southern Chin ...

'' (Lour.) S.C.Chen ( syn. ''D. loureiroi'') * '' Dracaena concinna'' Kunth * '' Dracaena conferta'' Ridl. * '' Dracaena congoensis'' Hua * '' Dracaena conspicua'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena cristula'' W.Bull * '' Dracaena cubensis'' Vict. * '' Dracaena curtisii'' Ridl. * '' Dracaena cuspidata'' Ridl. * '' Dracaena dawei'' (Stapf) Byng & Christenh. * ''

Dracaena deremensis ''Dracaena fragrans'' (cornstalk dracaena), is a flowering plant species that is native throughout tropical Africa, from Sudan south to Mozambique, west to Côte d'Ivoire and southwest to Angola, growing in upland regions at altitude.JSTOR Plant ...

'' (L.) Ker Gawl. (syn. ''D. fragrans'') – striped dracaena, compact dracaena, corn plant, cornstalk dracaena * '' Dracaena dhofarica'' (T.A.McCoy & Lavranos) Takaw.-Ny. & Mucina * '' Dracaena dooneri'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena downsii'' (Chahin.) Byng & Christenh. * ''

'' (L.) L. – Canary Islands dragon tree * '' Dracaena dumetescens'' (L.E.Newton) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena ebracteata'' (Cav.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena eilensis'' (Chahin.) Byng & Christenh. * ''

'' Engl. - Kedong Dracaena (Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda) * '' Dracaena elliptica'' Thunb. & Dalm. ( syn. ''D. gracilis'', ''D. javanica'', ''D. maculata'') * '' Dracaena erythraeae'' (Mattei) Byng & Christenh. * ''

Dracaena fasciata Dracaena (romanized form of the Greek ''δράκαινα'' - ''drakaina'', "female dragon") can mean: *Drakaina (mythology), a Greek mythological entity * ''Dracaena'' (plant), a genus of plants *''Cordyline australis'', a plant commonly known as ...

'' (Cornu ex Gérôme & Labroy) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena fernaldii'' (H.St.John) Jankalski * '' Dracaena finlaysonii'' Baker * '' Dracaena floribunda'' Baker * '' Dracaena fontanesiana'' Schult. & Schult.f. * ''

Dracaena forbesii ''Dracaena forbesii'', synonym ''Pleomele forbesii'', (Waianae Range hala pepe or Forbes' dracaena) is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to the island of Oahu in Hawaii. It inhabits dry, coastal mesic and mixed mesic forests at ele ...

'' (O.Deg.) Jankalski * '' Dracaena forskaliana'' (Schult. & Schult.f.) Byng & Christenh. * ''

'' (L.) Ker Gawl. (syn. ''D. deremensis'') – striped dracaena, compact dracaena, corn plant, cornstalk dracaena * '' Dracaena francisii'' (Chahin.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena frequens'' (Chahin.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena glomerata'' Baker * '' Dracaena goldieana'' Bullen ex Mast. & T.Moore * '' Dracaena gracillima'' (Chahin.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena granulata'' Hook.f. * '' Dracaena griffithii'' Regel * '' Dracaena haemanthoides'' Bos ex Damen * ''

Dracaena halapepe ''Dracaena halapepe'', synonym ''Pleomele halapepe'', the royal hala pepe, is a species of flowering plant that is endemic to the island of Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-large ...

'' (H.St.John) Jankalski * '' Dracaena halemanuensis'' Jankalski * '' Dracaena hallii'' (Chahin.) Byng & Christenh. * ''

Dracaena hanningtonii ''Dracaena hanningtonii'', synonym ''Sansevieria ehrenbergii'', (blue sansevieria, sword sansevieria, oldupai, or East African wild sisal) is a flowering plant which grows in northeastern and eastern tropical Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia ...

'' Baker ( syn. ''D. oldupai'') * '' Dracaena hargeisana'' (Chahin.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena hewittii'' Ridl. * '' Dracaena hokouensis'' G.Z.Ye * '' Dracaena hosei'' (Ridl.) Jankalski * '' Dracaena humiflora'' (D.J.Richards) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena hyacinthoides'' (L.) Mabb. * '' Dracaena impressivenia'' Yu H.Yan & H.J.Guo * '' Dracaena itumei'' (Mbugua) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena jayniana'' Wilkin & Suksathan * '' Dracaena kaweesakii'' Wilkin & Suksathan * '' Dracaena kirkii'' Baker * ''

Dracaena konaensis ''Dracaena konaensis'', synonym ''Pleomele hawaiiensis'', the Hawaii hala pepe, is a rare species of flowering plant that is endemic to the island of Hawaii in the state of Hawaii. It inhabits dry forests on old aā lava flows at elevations of ...

'' (H.St.John) Jankalski * '' Dracaena kupensis'' Mwachala, Cheek, Eb.Fisch. & Muasya * '' Dracaena laevifolia'' (R.H.Webb & L.E.Newton) Takaw.-Ny. & Mucina * '' Dracaena lancea'' Thunb. & Dalm. * '' Dracaena lancifolia'' (Ridl.) Jankalski * '' Dracaena lavranii'' (Webb & Myklebust) Takaw.-Ny. & Mucina * ''

Dracaena laxissima Dracaena (romanized form of the Greek ''δράκαινα'' - ''drakaina'', "female dragon") can mean: *Drakaina (mythology), a Greek mythological entity * ''Dracaena'' (plant), a genus of plants *''Cordyline australis'', a plant commonly known as ...

'' Engl. * '' Dracaena liberica'' (Gérôme & Labroy) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena longiflora'' (Sims) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena longifolia'' Ridl. * '' Dracaena longistyla'' (la Croix) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena lunatifolia'' (L.E.Newton) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena maingayi'' Hook.f. * '' Dracaena malawiana'' Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena mannii'' Baker * '' Dracaena marina'' Bos ex Damen * '' Dracaena masoniana'' (Chahin.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena mokoko'' Mwachala & Cheek * '' Dracaena multiflora'' Warb. ex P.Sarasin & Sarasin * '' Dracaena newtoniana'' (T.G.Forrest) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena nilotica'' (Baker) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena nitens'' Welw. ex Baker * '' Dracaena nitida'' (Chahin.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena novoguineensis'' Gibbs * '' Dracaena nyangensis'' Pellegr. * '' Dracaena ombet'' Heuglin ex Kotschy & Peyr. – Gabal Elba dragon tree * '' Dracaena ovata'' Ker Gawl. * '' Dracaena pachyphylla'' Kurz * '' Dracaena parva'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena parviflora'' Baker * '' Dracaena patens'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * ''

Dracaena pearsonii ''Dracaena pearsonii'' is a species of succulent plant native to Southern Africa. This species is in a complex of plants including '' Dracaena stuckyi'' and ''Dracaena angolensis ''Dracaena angolensis'', synonym ''Sansevieria cylindrica'', a ...

'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena pedicellata'' (la Croix) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena penangensis'' Ridl. * '' Dracaena pendula'' Ridl. * '' Dracaena perrotii'' (O.Warburg) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena perrottetii'' Baker * '' Dracaena pethera'' Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena petiolata'' Hook.f. * '' Dracaena pfisteri'' (D.J.Richards) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena phanerophlebia'' Baker * '' Dracaena phillipsiae'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena phrynioides'' Hook. * ''

Dracaena pinguicula ''Dracaena pinguicula'', synonym ''Sansevieria pinguicula'', also known as the walking sansevieria, is a xerophytic CAM succulent native to the Bura area of Kenya, near Garissa. The species was described by Peter René Oscar Bally in 1943. E ...

'' (P.R.O.Bally) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena porteri'' Baker * '' Dracaena powellii'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena powysii'' (L.E.Newton) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena praetermissa'' Bos * '' Dracaena purpurea'' (Ridl.) Jankalski * '' Dracaena raffillii'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * ''

'' Lam. – Pleomele dracaena or "Song of India" ** ''D. reflexa'' var. ''marginata'' ( syn. ''D. marginata'') – red-edged dracaena or Madagascar dragon tree * '' Dracaena rockii'' (H.St.John) Jankalski * '' Dracaena rosulata'' Mwachala & Eb.Fisch. * '' Dracaena roxburghiana'' (Schult. & Schult.f.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena sambiranensis'' (H.Perrier) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena sanderiana'' Engl. – ribbon dracaena, marketed as "lucky bamboo" * '' Dracaena sarawakensis'' (W.W.Sm.) Jankalski * '' Dracaena scabra'' Bos * '' Dracaena scimitariformis'' (D.J.Richards) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena senegambica'' (Baker) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena serpenta'' Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena serrulata'' Baker – Yemen dragon tree * '' Dracaena siamica'' Ridl. * '' Dracaena singapurensis'' Ridl. * '' Dracaena singularis'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena sinus-simiorum'' (Chahin.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena sordida'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena spathulata'' Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena specksii'' (Webb & Myklebust) Takaw.-Ny. & Mucina * '' Dracaena spicata'' Roxb. * '' Dracaena steudneri'' Engl. * '' Dracaena stuckyi'' (God.-Leb.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena subspicata'' (Baker) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena subtilis'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * ''

Dracaena suffruticosa ''Dracaena suffruticosa'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Sansevieria suffruticosa'' is a species of ''Dracaena (plant), Dracaena'' native to eastern Africa, from Ethiopia to Malawi. The first description of the species was made in 1915 by N. E. B ...

'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena surculosa'' Lindl. – spotted or gold dust dracaena. Formerly ''D. godseffiana'' * '' Dracaena tamaranae'' Marrero Rodr., R.S.Almeira & M.Gonzáles-Martin * '' Dracaena terniflora'' Roxb. * '' Dracaena testudinea'' Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena tholloniana'' Hua * '' Dracaena thwaitesii'' Regel * '' Dracaena timorensis'' Kunth * '' Dracaena trachystachys'' Hook.f. * '' Dracaena transvaalensis'' Baker * ''

'' (Prain) Mabb. * '' Dracaena umbraculifera'' Jacq. * '' Dracaena umbratica'' Ridl. * '' Dracaena usambarensis'' Engl. * '' Dracaena varians'' (N.E.Br.) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena viridiflora'' Engl. & K.Krause * '' Dracaena volkensii'' (Gürke) Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena wakaensis'' Damen & Quiroz * '' Dracaena waltersiae'' Damen * '' Dracaena xiphophylla'' Baker * '' Dracaena yuccifolia'' Ridl. * '' Dracaena zebra'' Byng & Christenh. * '' Dracaena zeylanica'' (L.) Mabb.

Formerly regarded as dracaena

* ''

Asparagus asparagoides ''Asparagus asparagoides'', commonly known as bridal creeper, bridal-veil creeper, ''gnarboola'', smilax or smilax asparagus, is a herbaceous climbing plant of the family Asparagaceae native to eastern and southern Africa. Sometimes grown as an ...

'' (L.) Druce (as ''D. medeoloides'' L.f.) * ''

Cordyline australis ''Cordyline australis'', commonly known as the cabbage tree, tī kōuka or cabbage-palm, is a widely branched monocot tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows up to tall with a stout trunk and sword-like leaves, which are clustered at the tips of ...

'' (G.Forst.) Endl. (as ''D. australis'' G.Forst.) * ''

Cordyline fruticosa ''Cordyline fruticosa'' is an evergreen flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. The plant is of great cultural importance to the traditional animistic religions of Austronesian and Papuan peoples of the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Isla ...

'' (L.) A.Chev. (as ''D. terminalis'' Lam.) * ''

Cordyline indivisa ''Cordyline indivisa'' is a monocot tree endemic to New Zealand, where it is called mountain cabbage tree or bush flax. It is also known as the broad-leaved cabbage tree, and in the Māori language as . Distribution In the North Island ''Cordyli ...

'' (G.Forst.) Steud. (as ''D. indivisa'' G.Forst.) * ''

Cordyline obtecta ''Cordyline obtecta'' (Ti, Norfolk Island cabbage tree, Three Kings cabbage tree) is a widely branching monocot tree native to Norfolk Island (the type locality), and to northern New Zealand. The species name ''obtecta'' derives from the Latin ...

'' (Graham) Baker (as ''D. obtecta'' Graham) * ''

Cordyline stricta ''Cordyline stricta'', known as the Slender Palm Lily, or Narrow-leaved Palm Lily (not to be confused with '' C. congesta'', which is also known by this common name) is an evergreen Australian plant. A shrub to 5 metres tall found in wet sc ...

'' (Sims) Endl. (as ''D. stricta'' Sims) * '' Dianella ensifolia'' (L.) DC. (as ''D. ensifolia'' L.) * '' Liriope graminifolia'' (L.) Baker (as ''D. graminifolia'' L.) * ''

Lomandra filiformis ''Lomandra filiformis'', commonly known as wattle mat-rush, is a tussock forming perennial herb that is native to Australia. It is sparsely tufted, with strap-like leaves and yellow flowers. It grows in dry sclerophyll forest and grassy wood ...

'' (Thunb.) Britten (as ''D. filiformis'' Thunb.)

Uses

Ornamental

Some shrubby species, such as '' D. fragrans'', '' D. surculosa'', '' D. marginata'', and '' D. sanderiana'', are popular as

houseplant A houseplant, sometimes known as a pot plant, potted plant, or an indoor plant, is an ornamental plant that is grown indoors. As such, they are found in places like residences and offices, mainly for decorative purposes. Common houseplants are us ...

s. Many of these are toxic to pets, though not humans, according to the ASPCA among others. Rooted stem cuttings of '' D. sanderiana'' are sold as "lucky bamboo", although only superficially resembling true

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, bu ...

s. Dracaena houseplants like humidity and moderate watering. They can tolerate periods of drought but the tips of the leaves may turn brown. Leaves at the base will naturally yellow and drop off, leaving growth at the top and a bare stem. Dracaena are vulnerable to mealybugs and scale insects.

Other

A naturally occurring bright red resin,

dragon's blood Dragon's blood is a bright red resin which is obtained from different species of a number of distinct plant genera: ''Calamus'' spp. (previously ''Daemonorops'') also including ''Calamus rotang'', '' Croton'', '' Dracaena'' and ''Pterocarpus''. ...

, is collected from '' D. draco'' and, in ancient times, from '' D. cinnabari''. Modern dragon's blood is however more likely to be from the unrelated ''

Daemonorops ''Daemonorops'' was a genus of rattan palms in the family Arecaceae. Its species are now included within the genus ''Calamus''. Species found primarily in the tropics and subtropics of southeastern Asia with a few species extending into souther ...

'' rattan palms. It also has social functions in marking graves, sacred sites and farm plots in many African societies

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * *

External links

* *
Socotra botany
. Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. {{Taxonbar, from=Q158009 Asparagaceae genera

Description

Species

Formerly regarded as dracaena

Uses

Ornamental

Other

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

Further reading

External links