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.

Caprivi: 1 genus and 3 taxa.

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

GenusContent
Sansevieria Thunb.Description, Image

Other sources of information about Dracaenaceae:

Our websites:

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

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Dracaenaceae
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) taxonomy for plants report for Dracaenaceae
Wikipedia: Dracaenaceae


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2014-23

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2023). Flora of Caprivi: Family page: Dracaenaceae.
https://www.capriviflora.com/speciesdata/family.php?family_id=76, retrieved 29 March 2023

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