Popular Types Of Dracaena Used Indoors And Outdoors

Dracaena (dra-SEE-nah) is one of the most popular plant groups for homes, offices and warm-climate gardens. NC State Extension sums dracaenas up as attractive, adaptable, low-maintenance and easy to grow, with species suited to indoor or outdoor use.

It’s a big group. NC State Extension lists 198 species of herbaceous or woody perennials, shrubs and trees in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae). Counts vary by source and age, though: an older UF/IFAS Extension production guide puts the genus at about 40 species.

Dracaenas are native to the tropics and subtropics of Africa, Australia, Central and South America and Southeast Asia, according to NC State. The famous dragon tree, Dracaena draco, comes from Cape Verde, Morocco, the Canary Islands and Madeira, according to the San Diego Zoo.

The name comes from the ancient Greek word drakaina, meaning female dragon, as both NC State and the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) explain. Dracaena draco has bright red sap, known as dragon’s blood.

Here’s what dracaenas have in common, how to care for them, a closer look at the most popular types, and what snake plants’ move into the genus means for your plants.

The Many Wonderful Features of Dracaena

Dracaenas come in more shapes than most people expect. NC State Extension says they may grow as single upright stems, cane-like stems, branching stems, or rosettes of spear-shaped or grass-shaped leaves.

Leaf color runs from solid green to variegated or striped, in shades of green, red, yellow or white. That range is why a collection made up only of dracaenas can still look varied.

Indoors, NC State says most dracaenas range from 2 to 10 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide, and they can grow much larger outdoors in their native habitats. For example, the corn plant reaches up to 6 feet.

Many woody types grow taller with age. The RHS describes rosettes of long, narrow, glossy leaves on a woody stem that grows taller as the plant matures, and notes that large plants make a fine focal point in a room.

NOTE: If you grow dracaena, you’ll likely enjoy its cousin, the Cordyline plant. The Hawaiian ti plant (Cordyline fruticosa) is also in the asparagus family and was once named Dracaena terminalis, according to NC State Extension.

How Do You Grow Dracaena?

Light

NC State Extension says dracaenas prefer bright, indirect sunlight, and that direct sunlight can scorch the leaves.

Many types also handle lower light. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions calls the Madagascar dragon tree one of the best indoor trees for low-light areas. NC State recommends keeping the corn plant in bright to moderate filtered light, and notes that its leaves narrow if the light is too low.

Light also affects color. The UF/IFAS production guide notes that the yellow of the corn plant ‘Massangeana’ and the red tones of Madagascar dragon tree cultivars increase with higher light.

Water

Water by feel, not by the calendar: let the top inch of soil dry, then water thoroughly. NC State says it is best to let the top inch of soil dry out between waterings, warns that root rot can occur if the soil stays too moist, and notes that overwatering can turn the leaves yellow.

Needs vary a little by type. For the corn plant, NC State says to keep the soil moist during the growing season and cut back on water in winter, and to grow it in a pot with drainage holes.

Water quality matters with this group. NC State says dracaenas are sensitive to the salts, chlorine and fluoride in tap water, which can brown the leaf tips, and that filtered water or rainwater may help.

The RHS also suggests rainwater or filtered tap water, because the fluoride in tap water can damage the foliage. The simple rule: use distilled, rain or filtered water.

Temperature and Humidity

Dracaenas are tropical plants, so keep them above 60°F. The UF/IFAS production guide says to keep dracaenas above 60°F at all times to avoid chilling injury. NC State says they thrive between 60 and 75°F with moderate to high humidity.

The RHS says they need warmth of at least 65°F, warns that temperatures below 40°F can harm them, and says placing them too close to a radiator in winter can brown the foliage.

Feeding

Feeding needs vary by type. NC State says the Madagascar dragon tree has a low fertilizer requirement and suggests a controlled-release fertilizer in spring, summer and fall.

For Dracaena reflexa var. reflexa, it suggests a balanced liquid fertilizer monthly in spring and summer. Whatever product you choose, follow the label for dosage and frequency.

Brown Tips and Other Problems

Brown leaf tips are the classic dracaena complaint. NC State links browning to low humidity, salt buildup in the soil, and the salts, chlorine and fluoride in tap water. For the corn plant, it suggests watering with non-fluoridated water and flushing salts from the soil monthly.

Pests to watch for, according to NC State, include thrips, mealybugs, aphids, scale, fungus gnats and spider mites. It also says fungal leaf spot can follow when the leaves get wet during watering.

What Are Some of the Most Popular Types of Dracaena Plants?

Madagascar Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata)

The Madagascar dragon tree, long sold as Dracaena marginata, now goes by a new name: NC State Extension lists it as Dracaena reflexa var. angustifolia. Its narrow, glossy, sword-shaped leaves have red edges.

NC State calls it a slow-growing, drought-tolerant shrub native to Madagascar and nearby islands.

As a houseplant it grows to about 6 feet and can be pruned smaller, and in the tropics it can reach 20 feet. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says that in good light it can grow up to 18 inches a year for its first few years.

For care, NC State says bright, indirect light is ideal, and to let the plant dry between waterings but not severely. Cultivars it lists include:

• ‘Bicolor’: grayish-green leaves with pink or red edges
• ‘Colorama‘: pink variegated leaves with white and green stripes
• ‘Magenta’: green leaves with magenta-red margins
• ‘Tarzan’: wide, thick, tough green leaves
• ‘Tricolor’: green leaves with white and pink edges

Dracaena Draco (Dragon Tree)

Dracaena draco, the dragon tree, has a look all its own. The San Diego Zoo describes a fat, scaly trunk, succulent branches and an umbrella-like canopy of stiff, blue-green, sword-shaped leaves.

It is drought-tolerant, grows in full sun or partial shade, and can withstand temperatures down to 20°F, according to the San Diego Zoo.

Patience is required: it takes about 8 to 10 years to reach just 2 to 3 feet tall. People sometimes use it in landscaping and grow it indoors as a potted tree.

The San Diego Zoo also notes greenish-white flowers followed by strands of red and black berries.

The largest dragon tree on record, the “Monster of Orotava” in the Canary Islands, was said to be more than 68 feet tall before a storm destroyed it in the late 1800s. The species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.

Dracaena Arborea (Tree Dracaena)

Dracaena arborea, the tree dracaena, lives up to its name. The UF/IFAS Extension production guide says mature plants may grow 30 to 40 feet tall, usually with several branches and 3-foot-long, narrow leaves.

Indoors, it is grown in containers. The same UF/IFAS guide lists it among the dracaenas that Florida growers raise under shade for interior use.

Corn Plant (Dracaena Fragrans and Massangeana)

Dracaena fragrans is the corn plant. NC State Extension says the name comes from the way its tall, unbranched stem and broad, strap-like leaves resemble a stalk of corn. The species name refers to its sweetly fragrant flowers.

They are borne infrequently, but NC State says they have a very strong fragrance at night.

The best-known form is ‘Massangeana‘, or mass cane, which NC State describes as having yellowish-lime stripes down the center of the leaves. NC State notes that the plain-green wild type is less common than the striped forms.

Corn plants are slow growers native to tropical Africa. NC State recommends bright to moderate filtered light, keeping the soil moist in the growing season and drier in winter, and temperatures of 70 to 80°F.

The UF/IFAS guide says they are usually sold as multiple woody canes up to 15 feet tall, so a big one suits a sunroom, office lobby or wide hallway.

Outdoors, NC State lists the corn plant as hardy in USDA zones 10 and 11.

Dracaena Reflexa (Song of India)

Dracaena reflexa has dark green leaves and was once called Pleomele reflexa, according to NC State Extension. The UF/IFAS guide says young plants grow on single stems and usually branch once they reach about 3 feet.

Indoors, NC State says Dracaena reflexa var. reflexa can grow 3 to 6 feet tall; in its native habitat, it reaches 12 to 18 feet. As a houseplant it rarely flowers. When it does, the flowers are small, white and fragrant.

Variegated cultivars include:

• Song of India plant: leaves with cream margins (NC State)
• Song of Jamaica (listed in the UF/IFAS guide)

Here’s a fun twist: since NC State now lists the Madagascar dragon tree as a variety of Dracaena reflexa, these two popular houseplants are now treated as the same species.

Janet Craig (Dracaena Fragrans, Formerly Deremensis)

Janet Craig was long sold as Dracaena deremensis. NC State Extension now lists deremensis as a former name of the corn plant, so Janet Craig and its relatives are cultivars of Dracaena fragrans.

NC State says ‘Janet Craig’ has shorter leaves on more compact stems than the corn plant. ‘Compacta‘ is the dwarf form of the Janet Craig group.

The UF/IFAS guide lists ‘Janet Craig’ and ‘Janet Craig Compacta’ separately and says the Janet Craig group can reach 15 feet, though most indoor plants stay under 10 feet.

NC State describes ‘Compacta’ as a solid green cultivar with dense clusters of short leaves, 3 to 6 feet tall. Other relatives listed by UF/IFAS and NC State include:

• ‘Lisa’ (UF/IFAS)
• ‘Michiko’ (UF/IFAS)
• ‘Hawaiian Sunshine’: compact, glossy, dark green leaves with light and dark green stripes (NC State)

The compact forms are a good fit for smaller spaces such as apartments, bathrooms and office corners.

Warneckii and Lemon Lime

Dracaena warneckii, also called striped dracaena, is another corn plant cultivar. NC State describes ‘Warneckii’ as having grayish-green leaves with white or green stripes.

Dracaena Lemon Lime is a brighter relative. NC State describes its sword-like leaves as striped in cream, greenish-yellow and lime.

Dracaena Sanderiana (Lucky Bamboo)

Dracaena sanderiana, once called Dracaena braunii, is the lucky bamboo plant. As NC State Extension puts it, lucky bamboo isn’t bamboo at all. It is a tropical shrub from West Africa, and people often train its stems into braids or spirals.

You’ll often see it sold sitting in water. NC State says it can grow in a moist potting mix or in chlorine-free water. If you grow it in water, change the water weekly and give it a weak liquid fertilizer.

Lucky bamboo rarely blooms as a houseplant. NC State says overwatering can yellow leaves and rot stems, and low humidity can brown leaf tips.

Related: Why Are My Lucky Bamboo Leaves Turning Yellow?

Gold Dust Dracaena (Dracaena Surculosa)

This one looks different from the others. NC State describes gold dust dracaena as having 3-inch, whorled, glossy dark green leaves with creamy yellow spots.

The UF/IFAS guide says it is a shrubby, branching plant native to tropical Africa. It can reach 5 feet, but indoor specimens are usually 2 to 3 feet tall.

Snake Plants Are Dracaenas Now

If you grow snake plants, you already grow a dracaena. NC State Extension says molecular genetic research showed that the species once in Sansevieria are a specialized, succulent lineage within Dracaena, so they were reclassified. The RHS says the same: new DNA analysis expanded the genus.

The common snake plant, or mother-in-law’s tongue, is now Dracaena trifasciata (formerly Sansevieria trifasciata). NC State Extension describes it as an erect, clumping plant with stiff leaves up to 4 feet long and 2 to 4 inches wide, banded in shades of green.

Other snake plants moved too, including the whale fin snake plant (Dracaena masoniana) and the African spear (Dracaena angolensis).

Here’s the important part: new name, same snake plant care. The RHS says snake plants have different growing requirements from other dracaenas and keeps a separate growing guide for them.

NC State says to let the soil dry between waterings from spring to autumn and to water only every one to two months in winter. Compare that with the corn plant, which NC State says to keep moist during the growing season. NC State also says snake plants tolerate very low light and rarely bloom as houseplants.

Snake plants are often called air purifiers. A 2020 review of 12 published chamber studies, in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, found that matching the air an ordinary building already exchanges with the outdoors would take 10 to 1,000 potted plants per square meter of floor space. Enjoy them for their looks and toughness, not as an air cleaner.

Are Dracaena Plants Toxic to Pets?

Yes. The ASPCA lists dracaena as toxic to dogs and cats. It names saponins as the toxic principle, and its listed signs are vomiting (occasionally with blood), depression, loss of appetite, drooling and, in cats, dilated pupils.

NC State Extension says some species can be toxic to people too, causing mouth and throat irritation, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea if eaten, and that handling some species can irritate the skin.

It advises caution around pets or small children. NC State lists lucky bamboo and the snake plant as toxic to cats and dogs as well.

If you think your pet has eaten part of a dracaena, the ASPCA says to call its Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 or your local veterinarian as soon as possible.

Conclusion

From ‘Compacta’, the dwarf form of Janet Craig, to the 30-foot tree dracaena, there’s a dracaena for almost every spot.

Give most of them bright, indirect light, keep them above 60°F, let the top inch of soil dry and then water thoroughly, use distilled, rain or filtered water, and keep them away from curious pets. Treat snake plants as snake plants, even with their new name.

Which dracaena is your favorite? Tell us in the comments.