Family:
Asparagaceae Juss.

Dracaena Vand. ex L.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Tropics & Subtropics.

[FTEA]

Dracenaceae, Geoffrey Mwachala & Paul Mbugua, Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2007

Morphology General Habit
Trees, shrubs, sometimes scandent, or herbs; roots often orange
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate, distichous or spirally arranged, sometimes in pseudo-whorls, sessile, the base often (semi-)amplexicaul; primary venation parallel
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence usually a terminal panicle, occasionally appearing racemose by reduction of primary branches; pedicel of a peg-like basal part crowned by a distinct joint, and an obconical receptacle, persistent in fruit
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers fragrant, nocturnal; tubular, with 6 recurving lobes
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens inserted in the throat, with inflated filaments; anthers versatile, opening by lateral slits
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style filiform
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a berry, 1–3-seeded
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds rounded, bony, white.
Distribution
At least 60 species, mainly in Africa and SE Asia.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Plants with a ± woody trunk, sometimes trees; roots usually orange
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a panicle with short or long branches; flowers 2 or more to each floral bract
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers usually small, fragrant and opening at night; free parts of tepals spreading or recurved, white or greenish, sometimes with a reddish midrib
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filaments slender or thickened
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a globose, sometimes lobed, red, orange or yellow berry containing 1–3 seeds.
Distribution
Over 150 species, the majority in Africa.

[FTEA]

Dracenaceae, Geoffrey Mwachala & Paul Mbugua, Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2007

Note
{i}Sansevieria {/i}has been variously spelled as {i}Sanseviera{/i}, {i}Sanseverinia {/i}or {i}Sanseverina {/i}in early publications, but the name {i}Sansevieria {/i}was conserved in 1904 by Harms (Marais, 1973).
Morphology General Habit
Acaulescent to shrubby, evergreen, fleshy, very drought-hardy perennials; strongly rhizomatous and forming colonies; glabrous in all parts
Morphology Stem
Stem absent or present and to 1.5 m high; rhizomes subterranean, on surface or aerial, terete, thick, fibrous, articulated, bearing strongly clasping catapylls
Morphology Roots
Roots sometimes produced from undersurface of aerial shoots
Morphology Leaves
Leaves sessile, rosulate, distichous or spiral, one to many, flat, crescentic to cylindrical, most with a groove on adaxial side; concolorous or with irregular transverse colour bands; lamina edge fibrous, variously coloured; apex subulate, horny, sharp or with a fragile spine; juvenile leaves flat or crescentic (even for cylindrical-leafed species), thin to thick, succulent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence a spikelike raceme, a panicle or corymbose-capitate, usually terminal, but a few lateral
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers 1–2 or more per cluster, subsessile, in irregular clusters along the scape, opening haphazardly above and below, opening towards evening and for one night only, scented; with one or two major membraneous or thin scaly bract(s) subtending each cluster, one per flower
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth greenish white to pinkish green; tube cylindric, glabrous; segments 6, subequal, spreading, linear; stamens 6, inserted at the base of the perianth-lobes; filaments filiform, usually longer than the lobes; anthers versatile, linear-oblong, dorsifixed, dehiscing longitudinally; ovary superior, free, globose, 3celled; ovules erect, solitary in each of the three chambers; style long, filiform; stigma capitate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a berry, membranous, soon bursting; seeds 1–3, globose; testa lax, fleshy; embryo straight, placed near the base of the albumen.
Distribution
A genus of about 50 species from Africa, Madagascar and Arabia.

[FSOM]
Use
Several species grown as ornamentals, particularly for their often patterned leaves.

Native to:

Aldabra, Andaman Is., Angola, Assam, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cabinda, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Cape Verde, Caroline Is., Central African Repu, Chad, Chagos Archipelago, China South-Central, China Southeast, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Djibouti, East Himalaya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Free State, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Hainan, Hawaii, Honduras, India, Ivory Coast, Jawa, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaya, Mali, Maluku, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, New Guinea, Nicobar Is., Niger, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Oman, Panamá, Philippines, Queensland, Rodrigues, Rwanda, Réunion, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Socotra, Solomon Is., Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Ascension, Azores, Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Is., Cook Is., Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, Florida, Galápagos, Haiti, Jamaica, Juan Fernández Is., Leeward Is., Madeira, Marianas, Marshall Is., Nauru, New Zealand North, Niue, Norfolk Is., Ogasawara-shoto, Puerto Rico, Society Is., Trinidad-Tobago, Tuamotu, Venezuelan Antilles, Wake I., Windward Is.

Dracaena Vand. ex L. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Meikle, R.D. [782], Nigeria 34228.000
Cameroon 34546.000
Du Puy, B. [MB148], Madagascar 56378.000
Raynal, J. [16968], Irian Jaya K000203787
Cheek, M. [7174], Cameroon K000025662
Guppy, H.B. [240], Solomon Is. K000203793
Ekema, N. [1191], Cameroon K000865035
Nguembock, F. [29b], Cameroon K000865027
Etuge, M. [1380], Cameroon K000025667
Pecke, E.F. [8207], Somalia Sansevieria 18171.000
Tanner, R. [1108], Tanzania Sansevieria 19027.000
Codd, L.E. [5557], South Africa Sansevieria 19031.000
Dalziel, J.M. [162], Ghana Sansevieria 22190.000
Deighton, F.C. [5720], Ghana Sansevieria 34695.000
Sansevieria 37982.000
Bally [14542], Tanzania Sansevieria 44061.000
Timberlake, J. [5337], Malawi Sansevieria K000614682

First published in Mant. Pl.: 9 (1767)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R. (2000). World Checklist of Seed Plants Database in ACCESS D: 1-30141.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • Diss. (1762)
  • F.T.A. 7: 436.

Flora of Somalia

  • Flora Somalia, Vol 4, (1995) Author: by Sebsebe Demissew [updated by M. Thulin 2008]

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Bos in Kubitzki et al., Fam. Gen. Vasc. Pl. 3: 240 (1998)
  • L., Mant. Pl. I: 63 (1767)
  • L., Syst. Nat. ed. 12, II: 246 (1767)

  • Flora of Somalia

    Flora of Somalia
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0