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Dracaena aletriformis Large-leaved
Dragon Tree; Grootblaardrakeboom; iGonsi-lehlathi, iThokothoko Article by Geoff Nichols
this plant was known until recently as D. hookeriana
This plant is one that many readers will be familiar with as many of the
Dracaenas from other parts of Africa and the world are grown as pot plants
or used in tropical plantings throughout the country.
Growing up on the Natal coast this is one of the many plants that left an
impression on me especially in the dune bush that clad the coastline where
I grew up.
I first encountered it as a plant associated with the Natal Robin. This
was one of the first birds I learnt and many of the nests that I found of
this species were built in this dragon tree. The nest being put in the region
where the green leaves were beginning to die off. I presume this was to make
the nest that was constructed of dried plant material more camouflaged and
thus less visible to the nest predators of the hapless robin.
The broad stiff strap-shaped leaves are produced terminally or at the end
of the usually single stem. This plant is usually between two to three metres
tall however I knew of one about eight metres high in the street where I live.
But alas new owners moved in an the plant was chopped down. The leaves arch
up and then down to make this plant a fine form and texture plant. If you
live in the Grahamstown area there is a form of this species with exceptionally
narrow leaves that makes a great garden and container plant subject. Find
plants and grow this form from seed or stem cuttings the other method of propagating
this plant.
Planting it in large groupings is the best way to use this species in the
landscape. It makes an ideal pot plant because it can tolerate low light intensities
and even a high degree of air conditioning. The white to greenish coloured
flowers are produced on a terminal spike and are quite insignificant to look
at but the delightful sweet scent at night is quite stunning. In my garden
at least two species of hawkmoth visit the flowers and obviously do their
thing as in about a month little green berries appear and in another month
the berries change colour to a bright orange. The fleshy outer covering is
enjoyed by birds and monkeys. Within another month the seeds germinate, to
leave me with many baby dragons like the teeth of the mythical dragon! The
young plants given the correct shady and generally moist conditions of my
garden will produce their first flowers in the third or fourth season from
germination.
The easiest way of propagating dracaenas is to collect the orange seeds,
clean off the flesh and sow immediately in a damp humus rich well drained
soil. The seeds will germinate after about three weeks. They will grow rapidly
if well cared for and if they get fed at regular intervals with some liquid
fertiliser. The roots of many dragon trees are a beautiful orange colour and
give off a sharp odour if damaged in any way. The famous Canary Island dragon
tree (Dracaena draco) has a dark reddish coloured sap that is exuded if the
tree is damaged hence, the name dragons blood. This resinous sap in the past
before the invention of synthetic dyes was an important basic constituent
in the manufacture of fine paints and dyes.
Another piece of useless information is that a skipper butterfly which goes
under the delightful name of the bush nightfighter (Artitropa erinnys) uses
Dracaenas as its larval host plant. The larvae also wrap themselves in the
leaves of this plant by pulling a section of the leaf over themselves when
they are ready to pupate. These butterflies also fly at dusk and look like
very fast moths when they are darting about the dragon trees in my garden.
Another good reason to plant this plant in your piece of Africa even if it
is only a potplant in your office!!
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