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Dracaena (plant)
Encyclopedia
Dracaena is a genus of about 40 species of tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s and succulent
Succulent plant
Succulent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climates or soil conditions. Succulent plants store water in their leaves, stems, and also in roots...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s. In the APG III classification system
APG III system
The APG III system of flowering plant classification is the third version of a modern, mostly molecular-based, system of plant taxonomy...
, it is placed in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Asparagaceae
Asparagaceae
Asparagaceae is the botanical name of a family of flowering plants, placed in the order Asparagales of the monocots.In earlier classification systems, the species involved were often treated as belonging to the family Liliaceae...
, subfamily Nolinoideae (formerly the family Ruscaceae). It has also formerly been separated (sometimes with Cordyline
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 have placed the genus in the Agavaceae...
) into the family Dracaenaceae or placed in the Agavaceae (now Agavoideae). The majority of the species are native in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, with a few in southern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and one in tropical Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
. The segregate genus Pleomele
Pleomele (genus)
Pleomele is a genus of flowering plants, sometimes placed in the genus Dracaena. In the APG III classification system, both genera are placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae...
is now generally included in Dracaena. The genus Sanseviera is closely related, and has recently been synonymized under Dracaena in the Kubitzki system
Kubitzki system
A system of plant taxonomy, the Kubitzki system is the product of an ongoing survey of vascular plants, entitled The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants....
.
Description
Species of Dracaena have a secondary thickening meristemMeristem
A meristem is the tissue in most plants consisting of undifferentiated cells , found in zones of the plant where growth can take place....
in their trunk. This monocotyledonous secondary thickening meristem is quite different from the thickening meristem found in dicotyledonous plants and is termed dracaenoid thickening by some authors. This character is shared with members of the Agavoideae and Xanthorrhoeoideae among other members of the Asparagales
Asparagales
Asparagales is the name of an order of plants, used in modern classification systems such as the APG III system . The order takes its name from the family Asparagaceae and is placed in the monocots. The order has only recently been recognized in classification systems...
.
D. americana, D. arborea, D. cinnabari
Dracaena cinnabari
Dracaena cinnabari, the Socotra Dragon Tree or Dragon Blood Tree, is a Dragon Tree native to the Socotra archipelago in the Indian Ocean. It is so called due to the red sap that the trees produce.-Taxonomy:...
, D. draco
Dracaena draco
Dracaena draco, the Canary Islands Dragon Tree or Drago isa subtropical Dragon Tree native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, and locally in western Morocco, and introduced to the Azores...
, D. ombet, and D. tamaranae are commonly known as dragon trees and grow in arid semi-desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
areas. They are tree-sized with stout trunks and stiff, broad-based leaves. The remaining species are known collectively as shrubby dracaenas. They are smaller and shrub-like, with slender stems and flexible strap-shaped leaves, and grow as understorey plants in rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s.
Species
- Dracaena americana – Central America Dragon Tree
- Dracaena aletriformisDracaena aletriformisDracaena 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 Gauteng. They are also found in Swaziland, but are most common in the coastal and dune forests of...
(Haw.) Bos) - Dracaena arborea – Tree Dracaena
- Dracaena aubryana Brongn. ex E.Morren (=D. thalioides)
- Dracaena bicolor Hook.
- Dracaena cincta
- Dracaena cinnabariDracaena cinnabariDracaena cinnabari, the Socotra Dragon Tree or Dragon Blood Tree, is a Dragon Tree native to the Socotra archipelago in the Indian Ocean. It is so called due to the red sap that the trees produce.-Taxonomy:...
Balf.f. – Socotra Dragon Tree - Dracaena concinna Kunth
- Dracaena dracoDracaena dracoDracaena draco, the Canary Islands Dragon Tree or Drago isa subtropical Dragon Tree native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, and locally in western Morocco, and introduced to the Azores...
(L.) L. – Canary Islands Dragon Tree - Dracaena elliptica
- Dracaena fragransDracaena fragransDracaena fragrans 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.-Description:...
(L.) Ker Gawl. (=D. deremensis) – Striped Dracaena, Compact Dracaena, corn plant, Cornstalk Dracaena - Dracaena goldieana W.Bull
- Dracaena hookeriana
- Dracaena mannii
- Dracaena marginata Lam. – Red-edged Dracaena or Madagascar Dragon Tree: see Dracaena reflexaDracaena reflexaDracaena reflexa, commonly called Pleomele or the Song of India, is a species of Dracaena which is a tropical tree native to Madagascar, Mauritius, and other nearby islands of the Indian Ocean...
var. angustifolia - Dracaena marmorata
- Dracaena ombet – Gabal Elba Dragon Tree
- Dracaena phrynioides
- Dracaena reflexaDracaena reflexaDracaena reflexa, commonly called Pleomele or the Song of India, is a species of Dracaena which is a tropical tree native to Madagascar, Mauritius, and other nearby islands of the Indian Ocean...
Lam. – Pleomele Dracaena or "Song of India" - Dracaena sanderianaDracaena sanderianaDracaena sanderiana is a species of the genus Dracaena. The species was named after the German-English gardener Henry Frederick Conrad Sander . It is also known as Dracaena braunii, Ribbon Dracaena, Lucky Bamboo, Belgian Evergreen or sometimes Ribbon PlantD...
Sander ex Mast. – Ribbon Dracaena, marketed as "Lucky Bamboo" - Dracaena serrulata Yemen Dragon Tree
- Dracaena surculosa Lindl. – Spotted Dracaena or Gold Dust Dracaena
- Dracaena tamaranae – Gran Canaria Dragon Tree
- Dracaena umbraculifera Jacq.
Formerly placed here
- Asparagus asparagoidesAsparagus asparagoidesAsparagus 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 tropical and southern Africa...
(L.) Druce (as D. medeoloides L.f.) - Cordyline australis (G.Forst.) Endl. (as D. australis G.Forst.)
- Cordyline fruticosa (L.) A.Chev. (as D. terminalis Lam.)
- Cordyline indivisaCordyline indivisaCordyline indivisa is a monocot tree endemic to New Zealand, where it has the common name Mountain cabbage tree. It is also known as the Broad-leaved cabbage tree, or Tōī.-Distribution:...
(G.Forst.) Steud. (as D. indivisa G.Forst.) - Cordyline obtectaCordyline obtectaCordyline obtecta is a widely branching monocot tree native to Norfolk Island , and to northern New Zealand...
(Graham) Baker (as D. obtecta Graham) - Cordyline strictaCordyline strictaCordyline stricta, known as the Slender Palm Lily, or Narrow-leaved Palm Lily is an evergreen Australian plant. A shrub to 5 metres tall found in wet sclerophyll forest and rainforest, usually on the coastal lowlands. From near Bilpin, New South Wales further north to Queensland. C...
(Sims) Endl. (as D. stricta Sims) - Dianella ensifolia (L.) DC. (as D. ensifolia L.)
- Liriope graminifolia (L.) Baker (as D. graminifolia L.)
- Lomandra filiformis (Thunb.) Britten (as D. filiformis Thunb.)
Ornamental
Some shrubby species, such as D. deremensis, D. fragransDracaena fragrans
Dracaena fragrans 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.-Description:...
, D. godseffiana, D. marginata, and D. sanderiana
Dracaena sanderiana
Dracaena sanderiana is a species of the genus Dracaena. The species was named after the German-English gardener Henry Frederick Conrad Sander . It is also known as Dracaena braunii, Ribbon Dracaena, Lucky Bamboo, Belgian Evergreen or sometimes Ribbon PlantD...
, are popular as houseplant
Houseplant
A houseplant is a plant that is grown indoors in places such as residences and offices. Houseplants are commonly grown for decorative purposes, positive psychological effects, or health reasons such as indoor air purification...
s. Many of these are toxic to pets, though not humans, according to the ASPCA among others. Rooted stem cuttings of D. sanderiana are widely marketed in the U.S.A. as "Lucky Bamboo", although only superficially resembling true bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
s.
Other uses
A bright red resin, dragon's bloodDragon's blood
Dragon's blood is a bright red resin that is obtained from different species of a number of distinct plant genera: Croton, Dracaena, Daemonorops, Calamus rotang and Pterocarpus. The red resin was used in ancient times as varnish, medicine, incense, and dye...
, is produced from D. draco
Dracaena draco
Dracaena draco, the Canary Islands Dragon Tree or Drago isa subtropical Dragon Tree native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, and locally in western Morocco, and introduced to the Azores...
and, in ancient times, from D. cinnabari
Dracaena cinnabari
Dracaena cinnabari, the Socotra Dragon Tree or Dragon Blood Tree, is a Dragon Tree native to the Socotra archipelago in the Indian Ocean. It is so called due to the red sap that the trees produce.-Taxonomy:...
.
Modern dragon's blood is however more likely to be from the unrelated Daemonorops
Daemonorops
Daemonorops is a genus of rattan palms in the family Arecaceae found primarily in the tropics and subtropics of southeastern Asia.The stems of the Daemonorops are harvest for their cores, which is used for everything from canes to furniture. The fruits of certain species, in particular Daemonorops...
rattan palms.
External links
- Socotra botany. Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.