There are several varieties of Dracaena marginata (dra-SEE-nah mar-jeh-NAH-tuh), the Madagascar dragon tree, yet few are as striking as Colorama. NC State Extension describes its narrow leaves as variegated pink with white and green stripes.
A quick name update first. NC State Extension now lists the plant as Dracaena reflexa var. angustifolia and says it was “previously known as” Dracaena marginata. Missouri Botanical Garden, UF/IFAS and most garden centers still use marginata, so that’s the name we use here.
It is a broadleaf evergreen in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae), native to Madagascar and Mauritius. Give it bright, indirect light and a light hand with the watering can, and it is an easygoing houseplant.
Dracaena Colorama Quick Care Tips
- Botanical name: Dracaena marginata ‘Colorama’ (listed by NC State Extension as Dracaena reflexa var. angustifolia)
- Common names: Dragon tree, Madagascar dragon tree, red-edge dracaena
- Family and origin: Asparagaceae, native to Madagascar and Mauritius
- Growability: Easy to grow, slow growing
- Hardiness zones: USDA zones 10 to 12 (Missouri Botanical Garden and NC State Extension); UF/IFAS says it can be grown outdoors in zones 10B to 11
- Size: Colorama grows 5 to 6 feet tall (NC State Extension); the species can reach 15 to 20 feet in its native habitat
- Flowering: Rarely flowers indoors; small, fragrant white flowers when it does
- Light: Bright, indirect light, protected from direct sun
- Humidity: A pebble tray can raise humidity around the pot
- Temperature: Keep it above 60°F and away from drafts (UF/IFAS); 70 to 80°F indoors is ideal per the UF/IFAS production guide, and NC State Extension gives 60 to 75°F for dracaenas
- Soil: Loamy, peaty, well-drained potting mix
- Water: Let the top inch of soil dry (NC State Extension), then water thoroughly; water less from fall to late winter; use distilled, rain or filtered water
- Fertilizer: Low needs; a controlled-release fertilizer in spring, summer and fall
- Pests and diseases: Spider mites, mealybugs, scale and thrips; leaf spot diseases
- Propagation: Stem (tip) cuttings, cane cuttings or air layering
- Safety: Toxic to people, cats and dogs if eaten; NC State Extension rates the poison severity as low
Dracaena Colorama Care
Size and Growth
Like other marginatas, Colorama grows upright on slender stems topped with tufts of long, narrow, arching leaves. Missouri Botanical Garden describes the species’ leaves as up to 2 feet long and 1/2 inch wide, and NC State Extension lists the growth rate as slow.
How tall does it get? In its native Madagascar, the species grows as a shrub or small tree to about 20 feet. As a houseplant, Missouri Botanical Garden says it typically reaches 6 feet or more over time unless pruned shorter. For Colorama itself, NC State Extension lists 5 to 6 feet tall.
Other cultivars NC State lists in the same group include ‘Bicolor’, ‘Magenta’, ‘Tarzan’ and ‘Tricolor’.
Flowering and Fragrance
Blooms are uncommon on a houseplant. Missouri Botanical Garden says the species has fragrant, tiny white flowers in spring, followed by round yellow-orange berries, but that flowers and berries rarely appear on indoor plants. NC State Extension agrees that it rarely blooms in the home.
Light Levels and Temperature
Most Dracaena plant varieties do well in bright, indirect light, and Colorama is no exception. Missouri Botanical Garden recommends bright indirect light, protected from direct sun and drafts, and notes that the plant tolerates low light but loses its best color in too much shade.
That color point matters for Colorama. A UF/IFAS production guide notes that the red tones in D. marginata cultivars increase with higher light. So if your plant’s pink is fading, a brighter spot (still out of direct sun) is the first thing to try.
Outdoors, Missouri Botanical Garden and NC State Extension list USDA zones 10 to 12, while UF/IFAS says it can be grown outdoors in zones 10B to 11. In cooler areas, keep it as a houseplant.
Indoors, keep it above 60°F. The UF/IFAS guide says to keep plants above 60°F at all times to prevent chilling injury, and it lists chlorotic (yellow) banding on marginata leaves after several hours at 32 to 37°F.
Above that floor, the same guide says temperatures of 70 to 80°F are most appropriate and that drafts should be avoided, and NC State Extension says dracaenas thrive between 60 and 75°F.
Colorama Plant Watering Frequency and Feeding
Water by feel, not by calendar: let the top inch of soil dry, then water thoroughly. The top-inch part is the rule NC State Extension gives for dracaenas, and its Colorama species page says to allow the plant to dry between waterings, but not severely, and lists it as drought tolerant.
UF/IFAS gives the same idea: water thoroughly, then allow it to dry out before watering again. Missouri Botanical Garden is a little more generous in the growing season, when it says to keep soils uniformly moist, but it also says to reduce watering from fall to late winter.
Use a pot with drainage holes and let the extra water drain away, and check the soil mix before every watering.
Brown leaves can point to watering in either direction: Missouri Botanical Garden says leaves may brown if the soil is too moist or too dry.
Water quality is the other big one. NC State says this species is sensitive to fluoride, like most other dracaenas, which can cause leaf discoloration. Use distilled, rain or filtered water: NC State recommends distilled or non-fluorinated water for this species, and its dracaena page says filtered water or rain water may help.
The UF/IFAS guide lists high boron, fluoride or soluble salts among the causes of leaf tips or margins turning yellow or dead, and says damaged leaves will not recover. More on that in our guide to dracaena fluoride toxicity.
Related: Learn Why You Should Use Distilled Water for Plants
For humidity, Missouri Botanical Garden suggests setting the pot on a bed of wet pebbles.
Go easy on the fertilizer. NC State Extension says the plant has a low fertilizer requirement and recommends a controlled-release formula in spring, summer and fall. If you just brought a plant home, hold off: the UF/IFAS guide advises not repotting or fertilizing for about four weeks after plants are placed indoors.
Soil and Transplanting
Missouri Botanical Garden recommends a loamy, peaty, well-drained potting soil. The UF/IFAS commercial production guide builds its mixes from sphagnum peat, pine bark, vermiculite or perlite, with coarse sand for larger plants, and aims for media with good moisture capacity and aeration at a pH of 6.0 to 6.5, and says a pH below 6.0 may cause leaf yellowing.
Move it up to a larger container when it outgrows its pot, and make sure the new pot has drainage holes.
Grooming and Maintenance
Colorama needs little grooming, but it responds well to shaping. NC State Extension says pruned stems will usually grow 2 or more branches, and that the stems can be trained into different shapes, such as braided or spiraled.
If it is heading for the ceiling, cut the top off at the height you want. Missouri Botanical Garden says tall plants may be trimmed by removing the crown and rooting it, so the top becomes a new plant.
Related: Can You Cut The Top Off a Dracaena?
Don’t panic when the lowest leaves drop. Missouri Botanical Garden and NC State both say lower leaves fall off with age, which is what leaves the diamond-shaped scars on the stems. Pull them off or let them fall, and pick up fallen leaves.
Keep your Colorama away from cold drafts, AC vents and heaters.
How To Propagate Dragon Plant
The UF/IFAS guide lists rooting tip cuttings, air layering and cane cuttings as the main ways to propagate dracaena, and NC State Extension recommends stem cuttings for this plant.
The easiest time to take a cutting is when you prune the top off. Trim off the lowest leaves, then either set the base in damp potting mix or stand the cutting in a jar of water so the lowest nodes are covered. Once roots form, move it to a pot of well-draining mix.
Colorama Pests or Diseases
Keep an eye out for pests. Missouri Botanical Garden lists spider mites, mealybugs and scale, and NC State Extension lists mites, thrips and chewing insects. UF/IFAS adds that mealybugs and scale occasionally attack the plant, though most dracaenas have few problems with pests.
- Mealybugs on Dracaena
- Scale
- Spider mites
- Thrips
Details on: Bugs That Attack Dracaena Plants
On the disease side, NC State says the plant is susceptible to leaf spot diseases. The UF/IFAS guide also links abnormally narrow leaves to root disease or poorly aerated soil, one more reason to use a well-drained mix.
Related: Why Are My Dracaena Leaves Turning Yellow?
Is Dracaena Colorama Toxic to Pets?
Yes. The ASPCA lists dracaena as toxic to dogs and cats. The toxic principle is saponins, and the signs it lists are vomiting (occasionally with blood), depression, anorexia, hypersalivation and, in cats, dilated pupils.
NC State Extension rates the poison severity as low but says the plant is toxic to people as well, with mouth and stomach irritation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and that the sap can irritate skin. Keep it where pets and children can’t chew on it.
Dracaena Marginata Colorama Uses
Colorama’s tall, slender stems make it a natural for filling a bright corner or the space behind furniture, and its pink foliage stands out among green houseplants. In zones 10 to 12 it can also go outdoors as an accent plant.
What about clean air? Dracaena marginata was one of the plants in NASA’s 1989 sealed-chamber study by B.C. Wolverton, which tested removal of benzene, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde.
A 2020 review of 12 chamber studies in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology found that matching the air exchange an ordinary building already has would take 10 to 1,000 potted plants per square meter of floor space. Grow Colorama for its color, not as an air purifier.
Do you have a Colorama? Tell us how pink yours stays!
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall does Dracaena Colorama get?
NC State Extension lists Colorama at 5 to 6 feet tall. The species can reach about 20 feet in its native Madagascar, and Missouri Botanical Garden says it typically grows to 6 feet or more indoors over time unless pruned. You can cut the top off to control height; NC State says pruned stems usually grow 2 or more branches.
Why is my Colorama losing its pink color?
Light is the first thing to check. Missouri Botanical Garden says the plant tolerates low light but loses its best color in too much shade, and a UF/IFAS guide notes that red tones in marginata cultivars increase with higher light. Move it to a brighter spot with indirect light, still protected from direct sun.
How often should I water a Dracaena Colorama?
Let the top inch of soil dry, then water thoroughly, rather than watering on a fixed schedule. NC State Extension gives that top-inch rule for dracaenas and says to let this plant dry between waterings but not severely, and UF/IFAS says to water thoroughly and then let it dry out. Missouri Botanical Garden says to water less from fall to late winter. Use a pot with drainage holes.
Should I use distilled water for my dracaena?
Use distilled, rain or filtered water. NC State Extension says this species is sensitive to fluoride, which discolors the leaves, and advises distilled or non-fluorinated water; its dracaena page adds that filtered or rain water may help. A UF/IFAS guide lists fluoride, boron and soluble salts among causes of yellow or dead leaf tips and margins, and says damaged leaves will not recover. See our dracaena fluoride toxicity guide.
Is Dracaena Colorama toxic to cats and dogs?
Yes. The ASPCA lists dracaena as toxic to dogs and cats because of saponins, with signs such as vomiting, depression, anorexia, hypersalivation and dilated pupils in cats. NC State Extension rates the severity as low but says it is toxic to people too. Keep the plant out of reach of pets and children.