Dracaena fragrans
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| ( L. ) Ker Gawl. |
Dracaena fragrans is a species of dragon tree ( Dracaena ) in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae). The specific epithet fragrans means 'fragrant'.
description
The evergreen plant forms a trunk that grows up to 6 meters high in its natural location. In indoor culture, Dracaena fragrans rarely grows taller than 1.50 to 2 m. The sitting , narrowly lanceolate leaves are 45 to 50 cm long and up to 5 cm wide. The leaves of the wild species are dark green and can be variegated depending on the variety .
In the natural location, floriferous, but inconspicuous racemose inflorescences are formed during the flowering period from March to May . If an inflorescence is formed from the terminal end bud, the side buds of the stem axis take over the vegetative growth; so the plant branches after flowering. The flowers are green-white and give off an aromatic scent. However, flower formation is very rare when cultivated as a houseplant.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 38.
Systematics and distribution
The home of Dracaena fragrans extends in tropical Africa from Sierra Leone in the west to Ethiopia in the northeast and Malawi in the southeast. It is one of the typical representatives of the Palaeotropic .
Dracaena fragrans was first described in 1768 by Carl von Linné and a little later by the English botanist John Bellenden Ker-Gawler . The generic name is derived from the Greek drakaina (female dragon, snake). The species name refers to the aromatic scent of the flowers of the plant.
See also
literature
- Fritz Encke : cold and warm house plants. 2nd Edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1987, ISBN 3-8001-6191-5 .
- Rob Herwig: House Plants. The complete guide to living with greenery. Lexicographical Institute, Munich, 1987; Book no. 04652-4.
- Alfred Byrd Graf : Tropica - Color Cyclopedia of Exotic Plants and Trees. Roehrs Company, New Jersey 1981 (second edition), ISBN 0-911266-16-X .
Web links
- Dracaena fragrans . In: S. Dressler, M. Schmidt, G. Zizka (Eds.): African plants - A Photo Guide. Senckenberg, Frankfurt / Main 2014.