Dracaena
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 Dracaena draco | ||||||||||||
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Dracaena is a genus of about 40 species of trees and succulent shrubs classified in the family Ruscaceae in the APG II system, or, according to some treatments, separated (with Cordyline) into a family of their own, Dracaenaceae or in the Agavaceae. The majority of the species are native in Africa and nearby islands, with a few in southern Asia and one in tropical Central America. The segregate genus Pleomele is now generally included in Dracaena. The genus Sanseviera is closely related, and has recently been synonymized under Dracaena in the Kubitzki system.
Dracaena have a secondary thickening meristem in their trunk. This monocotyledonous secondary thickening meristem is quite different to the thickening meristem found in dicotyledonous plants and is termed Dracaenoid thickening by some authors. This character is shared with other members of the Agavaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae among other related families.
Species
They can be divided into two groups based on their growth habits:
- A group of tree-size species with stout trunks and stiff, broad-based leaves, growing in arid semi-desert areas, and known as dragon trees.
- A group of smaller, shrubby species with slender stems and flexible strap-shaped leaves, growing as understorey plants in rainforests (and very popular as houseplants), and known collectively as shrubby dracaenas.
- Dragon trees
- Dracaena americana - Central America Dragon Tree
- Dracaena arborea - Tree Dracaena
- Dracaena cinnabari - Socotra Dragon Tree
- Dracaena draco - Canary Islands Dragon Tree
- Dracaena ombet - Gabal Elba Dragon Tree
- Shrubby dracaenas
- Dracaena aletriformis
- Dracaena bicolor
- Dracaena cincta
- Dracaena concinna
- Dracaena elliptica
- Dracaena fragrans - Striped Dracaena, Compact Dracaena, corn plant
- Synonym: Dracaena deremensis
- Dracaena goldieana
- Dracaena hookeriana
- Dracaena mannii
- Dracaena marginata - Red-edged Dracaena or Madagascar Dragon Tree
- Dracaena marmorata
- Dracaena phrynioides
- Dracaena reflexa - Pleomele Dracaena or "Song of India"
- Dracaena sanderiana - Ribbon Dracaena, marketed as "Lucky Bamboo"
- Dracaena surculosa - Spotted Dracaena or Gold Dust Dracaena
- Dracaena thalioides
- Dracaena umbraculifera
Several other species previously included in Dracaena are now treated in the genus Cordyline.
Uses
A bright red resin, dragon's blood, is produced from D. draco and, in ancient times, from D. cinnabari. Some species such as D. deremnsis, D. fragrans, D. godseffiana, D. marginata, and D. sanderiana are popular as houseplants. Rooted stem cuttings of D. sanderiana are widely marketed in the U.S.A. as "Lucky Bamboo", although only superficially resembling true bamboos.
References and external links
- Waterhouse, J. T. 1987. The Phylogenetic Significance of Dracaena-type growth. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. 109: 129-128.
- Socotra botany. Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.
