Melinda Myers

Dracaena

Botanical Name

Dracaena spp.

Hardiness

Zones 10 to 12

Height

2 to 10 feet

Width

2 feet

Light

Bright, indirect light; tolerates low light - tolerance varies with species and cultivar

Soil

Moist, well-drained potting mix

Planting & Care

• Allow soil to dry slightly between watering
• Place in shallow pan filled with pebbles and water to increase humidity
• Propagate by cuttings or air layering
• Sensitive to chlorine and fluoride in water
• Toxic to dogs and cats

Problems

Spider mites, scale, brown leaves if soil is too dry or too wet

Varieties

• Corn Plant (Dracaena fragrans) - wide, green leaves resembling corn
• D. fragrans 'Massangeana' - most commonly grown cultivar, leaves sport a wide stipe of yellow along the center
• D. fragrans 'Rothiana' - leathery leaves with white margins
• D. godseffiana 'Florida Beauty' - shrubby in appearance, rounded leaves mostly speckled with golden-yellow splotches
• Tricolor or Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata) - long narrow leaves with variegation
• D. marginata 'Tricolor' - narrow green leaves striped with cream and red
• D. marginata 'Colorama' - green leaves with vivid pink margins that have better color in brighter light
• D. marginata 'Bicolor' - narrow leaves streaked in red and green
• Dracaena deremensis 'Limelight' - neon bright, wide chartreuse leaves
• D. deremensis 'White Jewel' - dark green leaves with wide white stripes
• D. deremensis 'Lemon Lime' - green leaves with white stripes down the middle and chartreuse margins
• D. deremensis 'Ulisis' - green leaves with white strings down the middle
• D. deremensis 'Dorado' - wide leaves with thin yellow margins
• D. deremensis 'Janet Craig' - very common, wide glossy green leaves, can grow up to 10'
• D. deremensis 'Warneckii' - white stiped leaves, great variegated plant for low light
• Pleomele (Dracaena reflexa) - flexible stems sport dense leaf rosettes that spiral around the stem, plant will retain dense growth when grown in enough light
• D. reflexa 'Anita' - narrower leaves than species, often grown as small tree
• D. reflexa 'Song of India' - medium sized leaves with cream margins
• D. reflexa 'Song of Jamaica' - dark green leaves with lighter green centers