Dracaena (, derived from the romanized form of the Ancient Greek ???????? - drakaina, "female dragon") is a genus of about 120 species of trees and succulent shrubs. In the APG IV classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae (formerly the family Ruscaceae). It has also formerly been separated (sometimes with Cordyline) into the family Dracaenaceae or placed in the Agavaceae (now Agavoideae).
The majority of the species are native to Africa, with a few in southern Asia through to northern Australia with one species in tropical Central America. The segregate genus Pleomele is now generally included in Dracaena. The genus Sansevieria is closely related, and has recently been synonymized under Dracaena in the Kubitzki system.
Video Dracaena (plant)
Description
Species of Dracaena have a secondary thickening meristem in their trunk, which is quite different from the thickening meristem found in dicotyledonous plants and is termed Dracaenoid thickening by some authors. This characteristic is shared with members of the Agavoideae and Xanthorrhoeoideae among other members of the Asparagales.
D. americana, D. arborea, D. cinnabari, D. draco, D. ombet, and D. tamaranae are commonly known as dragon trees and grow in arid semi-desert 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 rainforests.
Dracaena plants are suitable for use as houseplants, being a top performer in NASA's clean air study and tolerant to sparse watering.
Maps Dracaena (plant)
Species
There are around 110 species of Dracaena, including:
- Dracaena afromontana - Afromontane dragon tree
- Dracaena americana - Central America dragon tree
- Dracaena aletriformis (Haw.) Bos)
- Dracaena arborea - tree dracaena
- Dracaena aubryana Brongn. ex E.Morren (syn. D. thalioides)
- Dracaena aurea H.Mann
- Dracaena bicolor Hook.
- Dracaena braunii Engl. - ribbon dracaena, marketed as "lucky bamboo"
- Dracaena camerooniana Baker
- Dracaena cincta
- Dracaena cinnabari Balf.f. - Socotra dragon tree
- Dracaena concinna Kunth
- Dracaena draco (L.) L. - Canary Islands dragon tree
- Dracaena ellenbeckiana - Kedong Dracaena (Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda)
- Dracaena elliptica
- Dracaena fragrans (L.) Ker Gawl. (syn. D. deremensis) - striped dracaena, compact dracaena, corn plant, cornstalk dracaena
- Dracaena goldieana W.Bull
- Dracaena hookeriana
- Dracaena kaweesakii Wilkin & Suksathan
- Dracaena mannii
- Dracaena marginata Lam. - red-edged dracaena or Madagascar dragon tree aka see under Dracaena Reflexa
- Dracaena marmorata
- Dracaena ombet - Gabal Elba dragon tree
- Dracaena phrynioides
- Dracaena reflexa Lam. - Pleomele dracaena or "Song of India"
- Dracaena serrulata Baker - Yemen dragon tree
- Dracaena surculosa Lindl. - spotted or gold dust dracaena. Formerly D. godseffiana
- Dracaena tamaranae - Gran Canaria dragon tree
- Dracaena umbraculifera Jacq.
Formerly placed here
- Asparagus asparagoides (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 indivisa (G.Forst.) Steud. (as D. indivisa G.Forst.)
- Cordyline obtecta (Graham) Baker (as D. obtecta Graham)
- Cordyline stricta (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.)
Uses
Ornamental
Some shrubby species, such as D. deremensis, D. fragrans, D. godseffiana, D. marginata, and D. braunii, are popular as houseplants. Many of these are toxic to pets, though not humans, according to the ASPCA among others. Rooted stem cuttings of D. braunii are widely marketed in the U.S.A. and the UK as "lucky bamboo", although only superficially resembling true bamboos.
Other uses
A bright red resin, dragon's blood, is produced from D. draco and, in ancient times, from D. cinnabari. Modern dragon's blood is however more likely to be from the unrelated Daemonorops rattan palms.
References
Notes
General references
External links
- Media related to Dracaena at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Dracaena at Wikispecies
- Socotra botany. Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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