Dracaena (plant)
| Dracaena | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Dracaena draco | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Asparagaceae |
| Subfamily: | Nolinoideae |
| Genus: |
Dracaena Vand. ex L. |
| Synonyms | |
|
Terminalis Medik. |
|
Terminalis Medik.
Dracaena (/drəˈsiːnə/, derived from the romanized form of the Ancient Greek δράκαινα – drakaina, "female dragon", is a genus of about 120 species of trees and succulent shrubs. In the APG III classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae (formerly the family Ruscaceae). It has also formerly been separated (sometimes with Cordyline) into the family Dracaenaceae or placed in the Agavaceae (now Agavoideae).
The majority of the species are native to Africa, with a few in southern Asia through to northern Australia with one species in tropical Central America. The segregate genus Pleomele is now generally included in Dracaena. The genus Sansevieria is closely related, and has recently been synonymized under Dracaena in the Kubitzki system.
Species of Dracaena have a secondary thickening meristem in their trunk, which is quite different from the thickening meristem found in dicotyledonous plants and is termed dracaenoid thickening by some authors. This characteristic is shared with members of the Agavoideae and Xanthorrhoeoideae among other members of the Asparagales.
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