Dracaena (plant)
| Dracaena Temporal range: Oligocene-Recent
| |
|---|---|
| Dracaena draco in Icod de los Vinos | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Convallarioideae |
| Genus: | Dracaena Vand. ex L. |
| Diversity | |
| 200–220 species | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Dracaena is a genus of about 200–220 species of trees and succulent shrubs. The formerly accepted genera Pleomele and Sansevieria are now included in Dracaena. In the APG IV classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Convallarioideae (formerly the family Ruscaceae). It has also formerly been separated (sometimes with Cordyline) into the family Dracaenaceae or kept in the Agavaceae (now Agavoideae).
The name dracaena is derived from the Latinised form of the Ancient Greek δράκαινα – drakaina, "female dragon".
The Plants of the World Online database accepts 214 species as of September 2025. The majority of the species are native to Africa (including the Canary Islands and Socotra), southern Asia, and northern Australia, but also seven species in Hawai'i, and two in tropical Central America.