Asparagaceae
Dracaena

Dracaena trifasciata (Prain) Mabb.

First published in Mabberley's Pl.-Book, ed. 4: 1101 (2017)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Nigeria to W. Central Tropical Africa, Tanzania. It is a rhizomatous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is used to treat unspecified medicinal disorders, has environmental uses and social uses and as a medicine.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

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
[UNAL]

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.
[UPFC]

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.
[FWTA]

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!
[FTEA]

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Ecology
Alt. 100 - 2000 m.
Distribution
Cultivated in Colombia.
Morphology General Habit
Herb.
[UPB]

Distribution
Found in Boyacá, Colombia.
[UPFC]

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
[CPLC]

Uses

Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
Use Social
Social uses.
[UPFC]

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).
[UPB]

Common Names

Spanish
Lengua de suegra, serpentaria, curarina.

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • 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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

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

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants of Boyacá Project

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/