Try Easy to Grow Dracaenas Indoors

Collectively, the dracaenas are often called dragon trees or dragon lilies. Although the flowers are not showy, and plants rarely flower indoors, they are members of the lily family. The group appears to get its name from the dragon tree (Dracaena draco). This plant exudes a dark red resinous material from its leaves which people in ancient times believed to be dragon's blood.

What makes dracaenas so durable? First, they are tolerant of poor light. Although they grow best, and hold their leaves better, in good light they can be used in areas where light may drop as low as 30 to 50 foot candles. They are also tolerant of more erratic watering than many plants. While dracaenas should be kept moist for best growth, they are tolerant of some drying. Excess drying may cause more pronounced left drop and death of leaf tips. The Sander dracaena even tolerates excess moisture and is sometimes sold for use in aquariums although it is not a water plant.

One of the most popular dracaenas is the Madagascar dragon tree, also known as red-margined dracaena (Dracaena marginata). This tree is generally grown with multiple stems which gradually drop their lower leaves, giving the plant a tree-like effect. The long, thin deep green leaves are edged with red. Canes of the plant tend to remain fairly thin, and often bend and twist to give the plant an unusual and artistic appearance. Varieties with variegated leaves are sometimes available, and called rainbow dracaenas.

One of the best dracaenas is the Warneckei or striped dracaena. The sword-shaped, leathery leaves are held densely along the stem. The centers of each leaf have a stripe- of grey-green with a white band along each side followed by a bright green band along the leaf edge. Warneckei dracaena is probably more tolerant of poor light than most of the other dracaenas. The cornstalk or corn plant is an old-fashioned houseplant. The leaves are longer and broader than those of the Warneckei dracaena, and each leaf has a wide yellow band down the center. Since the leaves are about the size of a corn leaf and since they are downward in the same manner, the reason for the common name is easily seen. Unlike a corn plant, however, the leaves radiate out from all sides of the central stem.

One of the best small dracaenas is the Sander dracaena, also called ribbon plant. The small leaves are about 6 inches long and are grey-green banded with white: It is very tolerant to home conditions and is useful in small dish gardens. The world of dracaenas is further complicated by several excellent houseplants that are not dracaenas (although related) but bear their common name. Among these are two pleomeles. One is a tall thin plant called the Malaysian dracaena, while another, with arrow-shaped leaves, is known as the lance dracaena.

Cordylines were once classed as dracaenas and still often bear that common name. Among the best known cordylines are the red dracaena, flaming dragon tree, and tricolored dracaena. The cordylines are distinctive because of their brightly colored foliage. However, unlike the true dracaenas, they prefer bright light for the best growth and color development.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_(plant)