What Are The Types Of Dracaena Plants [Answered]

Dracaena plants are one of the most popular houseplants; they can be planted indoors and outdoors; these plants are available in different varieties, approximately a hundred and twenty varieties. If you hope to have one of these plants in your home, you need to know the most popular varieties so that you can select the one best suited to your home.

Some of the most popular dracaena plants are Dracaena Draco, Dracaena Marhinata, Dracaena Deremensis Janet Craig, Dracaena Reflexa, Dracaena Warneckii, Dracaena Massangeana/Fragans, Dracaena Arborea, Dracaena Sanderiana, Dracaena Fragrans “Lemon Surprise,” Dracaena Lisa, and Dracaena Braunii.

A fun fact is that the name Dracaena is from the Greek word for female dragon, so these plants are sometimes called dragon plants. Dracaena plants are beautiful, have an elegant shape and glossy foliage, and do not require much attention.

Types Of Dracaena Outdoor Plants

Unlike some plants that can only thrive well indoors under low light conditions, dracaena plants come in different varieties, and some are tolerant of outdoor conditions. They thrive well when planted in the right climate and could grow so big to fit your garden or beautify your terraces. We will be considering some outdoor varieties of dracaena plants.

Dracaena Cinnabari (Socotra Dragon Tree)

This tree is native to the Socotra archipelago, somewhere around Yemen. With its large trunk of thick and robust green canopy leaves, this plant is quite different from other varieties of dracaena plants due to its large ‘mushroom-like’ appearance. This plant is only suitable for outdoor planting as it could grow massively tall to about 33 feet.

This plant is drought tolerant and would thrive well in properly drained sandy, loamy or clay soil. It does not require much watering as it likes dry conditions, and watering should be stopped during winter seasons. The Dracaena Cinnabari can tolerate direct sunlight, and it spreads out its branches when it reaches a certain height.

This dracaena plant has a dome at the top and is made up of a thick, deep green canopy of strong and hard leaves – this is the cause for its mushroom-like appearance. This plant blooms in summer and has patches of lime green inflorescences (sweet-scented) that turn into bright red berries till late fall.

Dracaena Draco (Dragon Tree)

This plant is native to the Canary Islands, Madeira, and was first described sometime around 1762 by Carl Linnaeus. This variety of dracaena plants is one of those that is best grown outdoors in tropical and subtropical regions. When fully grown, it gets very wide and thick with a height of about 25 feet while having dense branches and appearing like an umbrella-shaped tree with a flat crown, making it good for providing shade.

There is a particular record of this plant species growing up to 70 feet tall. This plant thrives well in well-drained sandy, clay, or loamy soil with a mild alkaline to mildly acidic pH. This plant produces white to green flowers that later form beautiful orange berries during summer.

Dracaena Reflexa ‘Variegata’ (Dracaena Song Of India)

This particular variety of dracaena plants is amazing because it comes with beautiful cream-yellow margins and green color foliage in the middle. This plant is sword-shaped and often produces beautiful flower clusters with berries. The Dracaena Song of India is perfect for a foliage-rich bust effect in containers or full soil outdoors.

When fully grown, it could reach a height of about 12 to 18 feet tall and often thrives well in fertile, well-drained soil. In addition, this plant is drought resistant, and its leaves are formed reflexively, bending towards an angle of 90 from the center of the plant. The Dracaena Variegata does not require much watering as long as the soil remains humid.

Types Of Dracaena House Plants

If you are looking for beautiful plants to add to your existing indoor plants, some great low-light tolerant dracaena house plants are worth considering. These plants could easily compliment any indoor spot and are very easy to maintain. Below, we will be considering some indoor dracaena house plants.

Dracaena Marginata (Red Edged Dragon Tree)

Just as its name implies, this variety of dracaena plants has unique thin sword-looking green leaves with red edges. This indoor plant has been beautifying homes, shelves, and offices since the 1960s. When fully grown, it could reach a height of about 20 feet. But if you will have the plant indoors, you need to trim it to maintain a height of about 6 feet. Its leaves often grow straight, while the overly long ones point sideways.

During the early growth stage, the Dracaena Marginata remains straight, and the bigger it grows, it forms an arch, creating a palm frond effect. The Red Edged Dragon Tree requires a light, rich, and well-drained compost or loam-based potting soil with a pH level of about 6.0 and 6.5, mildly acidic to neutral.

Dracaena Sanderiana (Lucky Bamboo)

The Dracaena Sanderiana is one of the most popular African Dracaena species. With its stem appearing like bamboo, this plant is a dracaena variety, and it is not related to bamboo, unlike many people’s wrong opinion. This plant is quite a popular indoor plant in western culture and connected to a Chinese practice – feng shui.

When fully grown, it reaches a height up to 3 feet and often thrives well in well-drained soil, having a pH of about 6.0 to 6.5. This plant prefers bright indirect sunlight and could be placed directly in a window somewhere indoors. The Dracaena Sanderiana is well-suited for tidy, refined, and light indoor areas. This plant requires watering once a week or when the soil’s top inch is dry.

Dracaena Varieties

In addition to the Dracaena varieties we looked at earlier, there are still many other varieties, and we will take a look at a few of them. A collection of only Dracaena varieties is a beauty to behold and will attract a surprising amount of interest in your garden and home.

Dracaena Braunii (Braun’s Dracaena)

This distinctive Dracaena variety looks like a herbaceous shrub with foliages that resembles peace lilies. This plant is also waxy like other Dracaena varieties; its leaves look thin as the plant grows, become broad in the middle, and taper to a pint at the end. Dracaena Braunii is light green and is one of the few indoor Dracena varieties that bloom.

The white flowers of the Dracaena Braunii have white petals that are similar to filaments and are light and elegant. This plant does not require direct sunlight; it should be placed under a semi-direct or filtered shade and not directly in front of a window. Dracaena Braunii requires light, rich, and well-drained generic potting soil.

Dracaena Trifasciata (Snake Plant)

Only a few people know the Dracaena Trifasciata; it is the popular snake plant that almost every plant lover knows; although recently reclassified and renamed, it is still the same. The long, shiny, hard, and blade-like leaves of the Dracaena Trifasciata grow upright but twist and bend slightly before ending in a pointed tip.

Dracaena Trifasciata is also known as mother in law’s tongue, and it has two lime green to yellow stripes at the sides and light silver green and snakeskin darn patches in between. This plant is famous for brightening up the dullest indoor space and has won the Golden Merit Award from the Royal Horticultural Society.

Final Thoughts

Are you an avid plant lover looking to try out some new outdoor and indoor plants? You can try out any of the different varieties of Dracaena plants. These beauties will brighten up your home and attract the attention of every visitor. Moreover, luckily, they do not require much attention to thrive.

Victoria Wilson

Victoria is the owner and main author of hobby plants. She loves spending her free time in her garden planting and taking care of her plants. Victoria hopes you enjoy the content here!