- Family:
- Asparagaceae Juss.
- Genus:
- Dracaena Vand. ex L.
Dracaena trifasciata (Prain) Mabb.

[UNAL]
Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/
- Vernacular
- calavera, cinta, cola de gato, cola de pescado, corbatín, culebra, culebrero, culebrina, culebro, curarina, espada, espada de Bolívar, espada de Judas, lengua de suegra, lenguaesuegra, lengüevaca, mapaná, mapanare, mejicano, penca, pitahaya, rabo de caimán, rabo de tigre, rayada, serpentaria, serpentina, serpentón, serpiente, taya, víbora
[UPFC]
- Distribution
- Biogeografic region: Andean, Caribbean, Orinoquia, Pacific. Elevation range: 100–2000 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Arauca, Atlántico, Boyacá, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Chocó, Córdoba, Cundinamarca, Huila, La Guajira, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Risaralda, San Andrés y Providencia, Santander, Sucre, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.
- Habit
- Herb.
[FWTA]
Agavaceae, F. N. Hepper. Flora of West Tropical Africa 3:1. 1968
- Morphology General Habit
- Erect herb with transversely barred
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves 2-21/2 ft. long.
[FTEA]
Dracenaceae, Geoffrey Mwachala & Paul Mbugua, Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2007
- Morphology General Habit
- Acaulescent herb with subterranean rhizome
- Morphology Leaves
- Leaves very erect, 1–2(–6), linearlanceolate, 30–120 × 2.5–7 cm, banded on both surfaces from base to apex, very distinct light dull green or clear whitish-green and deep grass-green to almost blackish-green, overspread with slight glaucous bloom, margins narrow, grey-green (var. {i}trifasciata{/i}) or golden yellow (var. laurentii{/i})
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
- Inflorescence (30–)40–75 cm high, axes 0.3–0.8 cm thick; flowers (1–)3–4 per cluster; pedicels 0.5–0.8 cm long, pedicels upward-curved
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
- Flowers pale greenish or greenish-white, perianth 1.9–2.3 cm long
- Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
- Fruit a bright orange globose berry, 0.8 cm diameter, 1–3-seeded
- Note
- var. {i}trifasciata {/i}has been cultivated in Kenya, Nairobi: Eastleigh, St. Theresas Catholic Church, 12 Dec. 1971, {i}Mwangangi & Kasyoki {/i}1891a! var. {i}laurentii {/i}N.E.Br. has been cultivated in Kenya, Nairobi: Eastleigh near St Theresa Catholic Church., 12 Dec. 1971, {i}Mwangangi & Kasyoki {/i}1891b!
[UPB]
The Useful Plants of Boyacá project
- Ecology
- Alt. 100 - 2000 m.
- Distribution
- Cultivated in Colombia.
- Morphology General Habit
- Herb.
[CPLC]
Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co
- Distribution
- Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 100 - 2000 m.; Andes, Islas Caribeñas, Llanura del Caribe, Orinoquia, Pacífico.
- Morphology General Habit
- Hierba
[UPFC]
- Use Environmental
- Environmental uses.
- Use Materials
- Used as material.
- Use Medicines
- Medical uses.
- Use Social
- Social uses.
[UPB]
- Use Environmental
- Environmental uses (State of the World's Plants 2016).
- Use Materials Fibres
- Leaves - Potentially used to make rope (Correa & Bernal 1989).
- Use Materials Unspecified Materials Chemicals
- Materials (State of the World's Plants 2016).
- Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders
- Medicinal (Instituto Humboldt 2014).
Native to:
Cameroon, Central African Repu, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, Tanzania, Zaïre
Introduced into:
Andaman Is., Ascension, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Canary Is., Caroline Is., Chagos Archipelago, Comoros, Cook Is., Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, East Himalaya, Ecuador, Fiji, Florida, Galápagos, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Leeward Is., Malaya, Marianas, Marshall Is., Mauritius, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Myanmar, Nauru, Niue, Norfolk Is., Puerto Rico, Queensland, Rwanda, Réunion, Seychelles, Society Is., Solomon Is., Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Venezuelan Antilles, Wake I., Windward Is.
- Spanish
- Lengua de suegra, serpentaria, curarina.
Dracaena trifasciata (Prain) Mabb. appears in other Kew resources:
Date | Reference | Identified As | Barcode | Type Status | Has image? |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oct 19, 1994 | Talbot, P.A. Mr [s.n.], Nigeria | Sansevieria trifasciata | K000499555 | Unknown type material | Yes |
Nov 14, 1983 | Mwangangi, O. [1891], Kenya | Sansevieria trifasciata | K000203832 | No | |
Oct 27, 1911 | s.coll. [s.n.] | Sansevieria trifasciata | K000499556 | Unknown type material | Yes |
s.coll. [s.n.] | Sansevieria trifasciata | K000204312 | No | ||
Cabalion, P. [2485bis], Vanuatu | Sansevieria trifasciata | K000204314 | No | ||
s.coll. [s.n.] | Sansevieria trifasciata | K000204315 | No | ||
Lau, J. [1274] | Sansevieria trifasciata | K000204313 | No | ||
Lau, J. [2852] | Sansevieria trifasciata | K000204317 | No | ||
s.coll. [s.n.] | Sansevieria trifasciata | K000204316 | No | ||
Coode, M.J.E. [4020], Mauritius | Sansevieria trifasciata | K000204176 | No |
First published in Mabberley's Pl.-Book, ed. 4: 1101 (2017)
Accepted by
- Govaerts, R., Nic Lughadha, E., Black, N., Turner, R. & Paton, A. (2021). The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-00997-6 Scientific Data 8: 215.
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- Medicinal Plant Names Services (MPNS) v.10 (2021); http://mpns.kew.org/
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Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia
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