Spermatophyta: Monocotyledonae: Asparagales

Dracaenaceae - Dragon-tree family

La Croix, I. (2010) Dracaenaceae Flora Zambesiaca 13(2) 13-35

Description of the family

Shrubs, trees or rhizomatous, xerophytic perennials. Leaves alternate, entire, with parallel venation, stiff, often succulent. Flowers crowded in dense racemes or panicles, ± actinomorphic, bisexual, hypogynous; pedicels with an often disc-like articulation. Perianth segments in two series of 3 each, petaloid. Stamens in two series of 3, exserted. Ovary superior, 3-locular; ovule 1 per loculus, axile. Fruit a berry. Seeds 1-3, dirty-white.

Comment: The genera included by us under Dracaenaceae are nowadays often placed together with Eriospermaceae, Ruscaceae, Nolinaceae and Covallariaceae as Subfamily Nolinoideae under Asparagaceae. However, we have followed the more traditional treatment for the time being.

Worldwide: 6 genera and 220 species, south-western North America and tropical zones, especially Africa.

Zambia: 2 genera and 12 taxa.

No image yet

Links to genera:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this family

GenusContent
Dracaena Vand. ex L.Description, Image
Sansevieria Thunb.Description

Other sources of information about Dracaenaceae:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Dracaenaceae
Flora of Caprivi: Dracaenaceae
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Dracaenaceae
Flora of Malawi: Dracaenaceae
Flora of Mozambique: Dracaenaceae
Flora of Mozambique: cultivated Dracaenaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: Dracaenaceae
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Dracaenaceae

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Dracaenaceae
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Dracaenaceae
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Dracaenaceae
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Dracaenaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Dracaenaceae
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Dracaenaceae
JSTOR Plant Science: Dracaenaceae
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Dracaenaceae
Wikipedia: Dracaenaceae
Plants of the World Online: Dracaenaceae
Tropicos: Dracaenaceae



Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-24

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2024). Flora of Zambia: Family page: Dracaenaceae.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=76, retrieved 19 March 2024

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