The Dracaena is known as one of the most air-purifying plants available and therefore it is a favourite for offices or public spaces. The plant removes common toxins caused by some office equipment such as printers, making it the perfect addition to any home! In fact, NASA notes Dracaena plants as one of the best de-toxifying air plants on the planet!
Another reason Dracaena plants make such great office plants is they are tropical plants which can endure cooler temperatures (down to 16 degrees Celsius) and are relatively drought tolerant. They are a generally slow growing plant species which enables them to remain at an ultimate height of 1-2m for a longer period of time.
The name of the family of Dracaena Plants is derived from the Roman word for female dragon! Commonly known as Dragon Trees these tropical plants are actually part of the Lily family, despite their being quite ‘tree-’ or ‘shrub-like in appearance! There are multiple types of Dracaena plants within the Dracaena Family:
The Janet Craig Dracaena, pet named “Lisa”, is native to tropical Africa. It is also nicknamed the “Dragon Blood Tree” because of the red sap inside of the tree trunk. It has long, sword-shaped, strong, shiny leaves that are rich in colour and protrude from straight stems, and if cared for, the plant can produce beautifully fragrant white flowers.
The evergreen Dracaena Lemon & Lime tree is part of the Asparagacae family, and is native to tropical Africa. Compared to its Dracaena siblings, the Lemon & Lime requires more light to feed its multitude of stripes and colours on its long thin leaves, and in the summer it can grow some beautiful white flowers. There can be multiple stems sharing one pot, which combined make a full and eye-catching addition to a home due to the multitude of elegantly curving long thin leaves. This Dracaena has a laid-back nature and is very easy to look after; thriving in an indoor environment it can grow up to 7 feet tall. In the wild it grows as a bush, and can reach up to 10 feet in height!
The Dracaena Marginata, or “Madagascan Dragon Tree” originates in Madagascar (surprise, surprise). It has long and elegant sword-shaped leaves with strips of red and yellow dissecting the centre.
The Dracaena Warnekii originates from tropical Africa, nicknamed the “Striped Dracaena'' because of its beautiful green and white striped leaves. It grows to a smaller height than other Dracaenas, reaching around 4ft at maturity. It is one of the most delicate members of the plant family, and needs looking after carefully.
The Dracaena family are a fairly sturdy bunch, being able to withstand some mild watering neglect, and low-light, in fact some Janet Craig Dracaena can survive under artificial lighting alone. Dracaenas make a lovely addition to any low or medium-light space, although In general, the darker the leaf, the more shade the plant can tolerate, so we tend to advise different species of dracaena plants depending on the light levels. For example, the Lemon & Lime Dracaena has lighter leaves than the Magenta and therefore needs to be somewhere with a higher light level.
