Dracaena (plant)

Dracaena
Dracaena draco
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Clade:Angiosperms
Clade:Monocots
Order:Asparagales
Family:Asparagaceae
Subfamily:Nolinoideae
Genus:Dracaena
Vand. ex L.[1]
Synonyms

Terminalis Medik.[1]

Dracaena (/drəˈsiːnə/,[2] derived from the romanized form of the Ancient Greek δράκαινα – drakaina, "female dragon") is a genus of about 120 species of trees and succulent shrubs.[3] In the APG IV classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae (formerly the family Ruscaceae).[4][5] 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.

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.[6] 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.

Species

There are around 110 species of Dracaena, including:[7]

  • 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 bushii
  • 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)[8][9][10]
  • 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[11]
  • Dracaena mannii
  • 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.[12]

Formerly placed here

Uses

Ornamental

Some shrubby species, such as 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 naturally occurring bright red resin, dragon's blood, 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 rattan palms.[14]

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Genus: Dracaena Vand. ex L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2010-01-19. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
  2. ↑ Sunset Western Garden Book. 1995. pp. 606–607. ISBN 0-376-03851-9.
  3. ↑ http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=Dracaena+
  4. ↑ Chase, M.W.; Reveal, J.L. & Fay, M.F. (2009). "A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 161 (2): 132–136. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00999.x.
  5. ↑ Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2016). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV" (PDF). Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 181 (1): 1–20. doi:10.1111/boj.12385. Retrieved 2016-06-11.
  6. ↑ Ilodibia C, Ugwu R, Okeke C, Akachukwu E, Aziagba B, Okeke N. Anatomical studies on two species of Dracaena in southeastern Nigeria. International Journal of Biological Research. 2014;3(1):9. doi: 10.14419/ijbr.v3i1.3770
  7. ↑ Search for "Dracaena", World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2012-12-17
  8. ↑ Engl., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. (1902). "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families". Kew Gardens. Retrieved 30 Jan 2016.
  9. ↑ exoten-garten (2009). "Dracaena ellenbeckiana (Kedong Dracaena)". exoten-garten.de.tl. Retrieved 30 Jan 2016.
  10. ↑ Dave's Garden (2005). "Kedong Dracaena - Dracaena ellenbeckiana". Dave's Garden. Retrieved 30 Jan 2016.
  11. ↑ Paul Wilkin; Piyakaset Suksathan; Kaweesak Keeratikiat; Peter van Welzen; Justyna Wiland-Szymanska (2013). "A new species from Thailand and Burma, Dracaena kaweesakii Wilkin & Suksathan (Asparagaceae subfamily Nolinoideae)". PhytoKeys. 26: 101–112. doi:10.3897/phytokeys.26.5335.
  12. 1 2 "GRIN Species Records of Dracaena". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
  13. ↑ Dracaena names. Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database.
  14. ↑ "Fruit as source of red resin exuded between scales, used medicinally and as a dye (one source of "dragon's blood"): Daemonorops didymophylla; Daemonorops draco; Daemonorops maculata; Daemonorops micrantha; Daemonorops propinqua; Daemonorops rubra" Terry C.H. Sunderland and John Dransfield. Species Profiles. Ratans. http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/y2783e/y2783e05.htm

General references

  • Waterhouse, J. T. (1987). "The phylogenetic significance of Dracaena-type growth". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 109: 129–138.
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