Dracaena reflexa Lamarck 1786 (Pleomele , Song of India)
This Dracaena may grow 20ft tall with a stem that is relatively thin for it's height, but is commonly seen as a much smaller house plant. Native to Madagascar. There are probably around 60 species including succulent trees with stiff leaves from arid areas and smaller shrubby plants with flexible broad leaves growing on the floor of rain-forests. Nestle the root-covered end into the hole so the pointed end is facing up toward the sky. It tolerates low humidity and cool temps around 50 degrees. Also avoid fluoridated water. Dracaena sanderiana is widely marketed as "Lucky Bamboo," although unrelated to the bamboo (grass) family. Native to Madagascar, Mauritius and nearby islands. Spray the leaves with water to avoid brown tips. Native to Kenya and Malawi. It is vital that the soil stays slightly dry as the weather cools. Dragon's Blood from Dracaena cochinchinensis is a remedy in traditional Chinese medicine for stomach ulcers, blood clots and for closing wounds. laurentii N.E. Leaves of many species contain irritant calcium oxalate crystals and the sap may contain saponins. NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to Resin collectors assist the process by enlarging the cracks. Pliny the Elder believed that the Dragon Tree sprang up after a fight and mingling of blood between an elephant and a basilisk (dragon). A selected cultivar Sansevieria pulchra cv. D. lindenii Linden ex André 1880
Named for: fragrant flowers
Draceana fragrans becomes up to 50ft tall, usually developing a shrubby habit with multiple stems from the base. Dracaena goldieana Bullen ex Mast. This is a selected sport of Sansevieria trifasciata with a compact habit but retaining the mottled green leaf surface, golden margins and an elongated drip-tip. Do not overwater as the roots will rot. Unfortunately, there was some confusion with the bright red poisonous pigment cinnabar (mercuric sulphide). Sansevieria trifasciata Prain 1903 cv. Long, ribbed, sword-shaped leaves on short stems arise in clumps from the soil. This selected cultivar has a white stripe down the middle of the leaves. Monarch larvae love to feast on the leaves, and other butterflies that sip its nectar. Snake Plant is a popular house plant and is used as ground cover fillers in interior landscape designs. The flowers are followed by glossy red berries. Stiff, upright, succulent leaves grow in rosette or clusters. In spring to autumn allow the soil to dry between waterings. Dracaena reflexa var. Photo extreme left: Cindy Larson. All the plants in existence originate from a single clump discovered by Laurent in a garden in the Belgian Congo. If necessary, use small stones or stakes to keep the cutting upright until it has rooted properly. 'Futura'
This is a selected compact sport of Sansevieria trifasciata. Long racemes of fragrant white flowers are produced in Spring, followed by orange berries. Named for: Reverend Hugh Goldie, who collected a specimen for the Edinburgh Botanic Garden in 1870. Native to coastal margins of Malawi, Tanzania and Zanzibar. An all-green form is also in circulation. Then pot up in a gritty free-draining potting mixture. Dracaena aletriformis (Haworth) Bos 1992 Syn. Calamus draco, and from South American Crotons, are also marketed as Dragon's Blood, but with different chemical and other properties from the "original". However, bright light will bring out the best in them and encourage flowering. They bear terminal clusters of large sword-shaped, ribbed green leaves. Sansevieria kirkii var. Native to Kenya. Amend the bed with a 3- to 4-inch-thick layer of compost worked into the top 8 to 12 inches of the soil if the soil is poor or sandy. The narrow dark green leaves have reddened margins and taper to pointed tips. It is durable, easily grown & difficult to kill and will tolerate very low light areas as filler plants. Sansevieria splendens hort. Extreme left: Oxford University's Botanic Garden. The plants need well-drained and mildly acidic soil that is high in organic matter. The inflorescence is a panicle of many small greenish-white flowers followed by a cluster of reddish-purple fruit. Taper off watering toward the end of the summer when the foliage starts to yellow and die back. The leaf surface has darker narrow transverse bands and longitudinal lines. There are several variegated cultivars of D. fragrans. Separation into their own family is not universally accepted. A large number of variegated forms are known. In winter only water ever 1-2 months. Souvenir de Schriever Engler 1907
D. deremensis is a synonym of D. fragrans. Cane-like stems rising from the rootstock bear whorls of sword-shaped leaves. Native to tropical Africa from the Ivory Coast and Angola to Sudan and Mozambique, growing at elevations up to 7000ft. variegata(Dwarf Snake Plant, Bird's-Nest Sansevieria)
Named for: Sylvan Frank Hahn, nursery owner who patented this cultivar. Tight whorls of lanecolate dark green leaves are arranged spirally around the upper portions of the knobbly stem. Left: Dracaena marginata. Dracaena sanderiana Sander ex Masters 1893
from Cameroon forms a small 5 ft tall shrubby plant. N.C. Named for: Jean-Henri Humbert (1887-1967) French Professor, University of Algiers, botanist & plant collector in Madagascar. The cultivar "tricolor" has an additional yellow stripe along its leaves. Crocosmia tends to be resistant to damage by deer and rabbits. angustifolia Baker 1875 (Madagascar Dragon Tree)
Syn. In their habitat, old trees adopt a curious mushroom-like shape with the 20ft trunks dividing after each flowering to produce many heads of narrow, leathery glaucous-blue leaves forming a dense crown. Flowers carried on racemes or pannicles are followed by red or orange berries. Caveat emptor ! Dracaena schizantha
A tree with a cluster of leathery, narrow, tapering blue-green leaves on a substantial trunk with pale bark patterned by leaf scars. Some classification systems include members of the Nolinaceae and Cordyline in the Dracaenaceae or Ruscaceae. Photos: Cynthia Nash. See below Description. Native to coastal scrub of Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi. Dracaena ombet Kotschy & Peyritsch 1867 Syn. The Crocosmia 'Lucifer' plant needs full sun to produce its characteristic flowers, although it does benefit from light shade in hotter areas where its delicate foliage will scorch under direct sun, according to Missouri Botanical Garden.