Dracaena Fragrans - Cultivation and Uses

Cultivation and Uses

In Africa, D. fragrans is widely grown as a hedge plant; it is suited to frost-free climates, in USDA zones 10-11. Elsewhere, it is primarily popular as a houseplant, valued for its tolerance of a wide range of indoor conditions from full sun to low light conditions. It is also very tolerant of neglect, and has been shown by the NASA Clean Air Study to help remove indoor pollutants such as formaldehyde, xylene and toluene. The plant is known as "masale" and is a holy plant to the Chagga people of Tanzania.

Several cultivars are available with variegated leaves. 'Massangeana' has a bright yellow central stripe on the leaves. 'Compacta' is more compact, for indoor locations. Other popular cultivars include 'Janet Craig' and 'Warneckii', which are often sold under the synonym D. deremensis.

The cultivars 'Lemon Lime' and 'Warneckii' have both gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

In cultivation in the Neotropics, the flowers are visited by a few generalist hummingbird species like the Sapphire-spangled Emerald (Amazilia lactea).