Dracaena

Scientific name

Dracaena L.

Common names

lucky bamboo, friendship bamboo, ribbon plant, ribbon Dracaena, curly bamboo, Chinese water bamboo, Sander's Dracaena, Belgian evergreen, goddess of mercy plant

Family

Asparagaceae

Similar genera

Hanguana, Pandanus, Spathiphyllum

Native distribution

tropical west Africa, Cameroon

Species cultivated

numerous cultivated varieties, especially those with variegated leaves; one species is cultivated for aquaria:

Dracaena sanderiana Sander [also offered under the synonym D. braunii Engl.]

Adventive distribution

information not available

Weed status

not weedy

Habit

amphibiousamphibious:
(adj) of a plant able to live on land or in water
herb to shrub

Brief description

Stem simple, erect, rooting at nodes. Leaves crowded toward apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
or spaced distally; sessilesessile:
(adj) attached directly, without a stalk
but may appear as petiolatepetiolate:
(adj) relating to or in the form of a petiole; bearing petioles
; leaf bladeblade:
(n) (syn. lamina) the flat, expanded part of a leaf, frond, or petal (excluding, e.g., the petiole)
lanceolatelanceolate:
(adj) lance-shaped; widest point below the middle, tapering to the apex
to ellipticelliptical:
(adj) in the form of an ellipse (oval)
; apexapex:
(n) the point farthest from the point of attachment; the tip (often pointed)
acuteacute:
(adj) tapering to a sharp, pointed apex with more or less straight sides; broader than acuminate; forming an angle of less than 90 degrees
; base amplexi caulinecauline:
(adj) pertaining to or belonging to the stem
; marginmargin:
(n) edge; rim
entireentire:
(adj) having a continuous margin that is not toothed or lobed
; venationvenation:
(n) the arrangement of veins in a leaf
parallel. Inflorescenceinflorescence:
(n) the arrangement of flowers on the floral axis
terminalterminal:
(adj) at the apex
, a simple erect racemeraceme:
(n) an indeterminate, unbranched inflorescence having pedicelled flowers on a usually elongated axis (may be cymose)
with a short pedunclepeduncle:
(n) the stalk of a flower cluster or inflorescence
. Flowers actinomorphicactinomorphic:
(adj) of flowers, having radial symmetry; capable of being bisected into identifical halves along more than one axis
, bisexualbisexual:
(adj) having both male and female sexual reproductive structures on one individual or in one flower
; pedicelpedicel:
(n) the stalk of a single flower in an inflorescence, or of a grass spikelet
short; perianthperianth:
(n) collective term for the calyx and corolla of a flower; also used for floral whorl(s) in which the calyx and corolla cannot be resolved; any of the leaves or bracts surrounding the sex organs of bryophytes
long and cylindricalcylindrical:
(adj) forming a nearly true cylinder
, tepals 6, twice as long as the tube; usually white; fragrant.

Natural habitat

tropical moist forests

Additional comments

Dracaena consists of over 100 species. Dracaena sanderiana is utilized in aquaria because it can tolerate extended periods of submersion. This species is most frequently grown indoors hydroponically as an ornamental called 'Lucky Bamboo'; although several common names for the genus include the word "bamboo" (a grass), D. sanderiana is not a bamboo.