Madagascar Dragon Tree

Madagascar Dragon Tree

Dracaena marginata

      The Dracaena marginata is an extremely beautiful and exotic plant.  As given in the name the Madagascar Dragon Plant is native to Madagascar, a very exotic island off the coast of Africa.  The Dracaena marginata has five different types that can be bought by consumers.  The most common type is the green variety shown to the right.  There are also different color variations.  There is a magenta, Tri-color, and bi-color.  The plant is very beautiful in every variety, the plant is usually just green, red, or white variations.  The plant can be a single stem shooting up holding one set of leaves or I can become a monstrous bush that can grow up to twenty feet in the air. 

      It will flourish in normal indoor temperatures, and does not need extra humidity or extra dryness.  It does not flower, but the blades that rainbow out make up for the no flowers.  Like most other plants, when caring for it you should watch for dryness, or yellowing leaves that indicate over watering.  When watering, allow soil to dry out at the top, if it gets too dry the plant will shed a large amount of completely yellow leaves. Fertilize only once a year and be wary of Spider mites, and an occasional Mealy bug.  The plant does not need extremely intense lighting like you might expect coming from Africa.  It actually will do better indoors next to a window that gets light most of the day. 

      Related source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_(plant)

      Created by: Samuel Schaapveld

      Questions or Comments E-mail Me at: Samuel.Schaapveld@ndsu.edu