The name dracaena is derived from the romanized form of the Ancient Greekδράκαινα – drakaina, "female dragon".[7]
The majority of the species are native to Africa, southern Asia through to northern Australia, with two species in tropical Central America.
Descriptionedit
Species of Dracaena have a secondary thickening meristem in their trunk, termed Dracaenoid thickening by some authors,[citation needed] which is quite different from the thickening meristem found in dicotyledonous plants. This characteristic is shared with members of the Agavoideae and Xanthorrhoeoideae among other members of the Asparagales.
Dracaena species can be classified in two growth types: treelike dracaenas (Dracaena fragrans, Dracaena draco, Dracaena cinnabari), which have aboveground stems that branch from nodes after flowering, or if the growth tip is severed, and rhizomatous dracaenas (Dracaena trifasciata, Dracaena angolensis), which have underground rhizomes and leaves on the surface (ranging from straplike to cylindrical).[citation needed]
Many species of Dracaena are kept as houseplants due to tolerance of lower light and sparse watering.[8]
Some shrubby species, such as D. fragrans, D. surculosa, D. marginata, and D. sanderiana, 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. sanderiana are sold as "lucky bamboo", although only superficially resembling true bamboos.
Dracaena houseplants like humidity and moderate watering. They can tolerate periods of drought but the tips of the leaves may turn brown.[15] Leaves at the base will naturally yellow and drop off, leaving growth at the top and a bare stem.[15] Dracaena are vulnerable to mealybugs and scale insects.[15]
Otheredit
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 Calamus rattan palms, formerly placed in Daemonorops.[a] It also has social functions in marking graves, sacred sites and farm plots in many African societies.[17]
Referencesedit
Notesedit
^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[16]
Citationsedit
^ ab"Genus: Dracaena Vand. ex L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2010-01-19. Archived from the original on 2010-05-30. Retrieved 2011-02-07.
^Sunset Western Garden Book. Sunset Publishing Corporation. 1995. ISBN 978-0-376-03851-7.
^"Dracaena". theplantlist.org. 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (2016). "An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 181 (1): 1–20. doi:10.1111/boj.12385.
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.
Coombes, Allen J. (2012). The A to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants. Timber Press. ISBN 978-1-60469-196-2.
Sunderland, Terry C.H.; Dransfield, John (2002). Florentino O.; Dransfield, John; Tesoro; N. Manokaran (eds.). "Species Profiles Rattans". Rattan, Current Research Issues and Prospects for Conservation and Sustainable Development. 14: 23–34.
Sheridan, M. (2008). "Tanzanian ritual perimetrics and African landscapes: the case of Dracaena". International Journal of African Historical Studies. 41 (3): 491–521. JSTOR 40282529.
Wilkin, Paul; Suksathan, Piyakaset; Keeratikiat, Kaweesak; van Welzen, Peter; Wiland-Szymanska, Justyna (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. PMC3817424. PMID 24194672.