Classification
Scientific Name: Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’
Common Name(s): Corn Plant, Fragrant dracaena, Dragon tree
Family: Agavaceae
Plant type: Shrub
Distribution
This is one of several monocotyledon species from East Africa that has a secondary thickening in the stems and leaves that develop spirally from the stem. It grows abundantly as a ground cover shrub in damp tropical rain forests at lower elevations. Throughout southern Mengo, it can produce a dense thicket that crowds out other shrubs. It has also been cultivated in Uganda for a long time and used as a traditional boundary marker or hedge, as well as being planted beside cemeteries and shrines.
Characteristics
1. Dracaena fragrans is a cornstalk plant native to tropical Africa and has been introduced all over the world.
2. It is a common evergreen plant that is mostly a foliage plant that can be grown indoors or on lanais, with certain varieties also being able to be grown outside.
3. Corn plant’s tall, numerous, unbranched stems have a wide, central yellow stripe and form a hefty but beautiful tropical clump suited for low-maintenance container culture or specimen planting, with rosettes of arching, thick evergreen leaves with a wide, central yellow stripe. For a coarse-textured, clumping effect, mass plant on two-foot centers. Occasionally, extremely fragrant flowers bloom and open at night.
4. A shrub or tree that is evergreen and grows to a height of 3 to 5 meters (15-18 m). At ground level, a tangle of horizontal woody stems gives way to vertical leafy stems.
5. BARK: Smooth, pale, encircled by leaf scars when cut, tender and delicious. Crowns with 2 ft. long, 3-4 cm wide narrow leathery leaves at top stems.
6. LEAVES: 30-50 cm long, 4-10 cm wide, base narrow and enclosing the stem, tip pointy, leathery, spirally organized, and not noticeably crowded at branch ends. Deep glossy green leaves with reddish red edges. The tricolor (Candy Cane) variation adds short gold steps to the green and red color scheme.
7. FLOWERS: Flower stalk erect, usually 18-25 cm (40-100 cm), mostly unbranched, flowers in dense clusters, very fragrant, petals white or pink with a central darker pink stripe, anthers yellow, flower tubular with 6 lobes in 2 whorls,
8. FRUIT: Spherical orange juicy berries, about 2 cm in diameter, on strong stalks, sometimes lobed.
Characteristics to Note
Corn plant, or Dracaena fragrans, is a popular, hardy, and easy-to-grow indoor houseplant. Although it can grow up to 20 feet tall in its natural habitat, it is more commonly seen as a container plant in the United States in the 4-6 foot range. Rosettes of evergreen, parallel-veined, sword-shaped, bright green leaves normally grow to 2′ long and 3″ broad in containers but can grow to 3′ long in the open. Plants lose their lower leaves over time, exposing bare stems. In terminal panicles, fragrant, small white-yellow flowers with spherical heads appear. Red berries may appear after the flowers.
Description
1. Plants in the house can grow to be anywhere between 5 and 15 feet tall.
2. 2–3 feet in width
3. Upright plant
Foliage
1. Spiral leaf pattern
2. Simple leaf type.
3. undulated leaf margin
4. Linear leaf form
5. Parallel leaf venation
6. Aromatic leaves that last a long time.
7. 18 to 36 inches long leaf blades
Flower
1. The white color of the flower
2. Flowering time: all year
Fruit
1. Fruit shape: round
2. Fruit length: less than a fifth of an inch
3. Fleshy fruit cover
4. Fruit characteristic: unobtrusive and unshowy
Branches and trunk
Showy trunk/bark/branches; can be trained to grow with a single trunk; stems are usually multi-trunked or clumping.
Culture
The plant grows in the shade and requires a lot of light. It flourishes in organically rich, regularly moist, well-drained soils in part shade and can easily be cultivated in containers as an indoor foliage plant. Use potting soil that is loamy, peaty, and well-drained. Corn plants thrive in strong indirect light that is shielded from direct sunlight and draughts for long periods. Tolerates some low-light situations. Containers can be placed on moist pebble beds with plant leaves misted regularly to improve humidity. Brown leaf tips are common in dry soils. Too much sun can inhibit the development of the greatest foliage color. During the growth season, keep soils evenly moist, but minimize watering from fall to late winter. Allow the soils to dry slightly between waterings, but never completely dry them out. Plants can withstand a wide variety of interior temperatures, but they thrive in temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant pots can be left outside during the summer, but they must be taken back inside before the temperature drops below 50 degrees F in the early fall. This tropical perennial is frost-free.
Use and Management
1. In Thailand, it is also widely utilized as a decorative plant for both indoor and outdoor landscaping.
2. Ornamental, and boundary-marking.
3. It has been used for a variety of therapeutic uses, including inducing labor by squeezing or chewing its leaves and roots, treating malnutrition with a decoction made from its bark, and boosting CD4 counts to treat HIV/AIDS by boiling the roots in water.
4. D. fragrans is thought to be an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor in addition to having substantial antibacterial action. Linalool was recently discovered in this plant, together with the other 29 chemicals (Julsrigival et al. 2020), indicating its aromatherapy properties for treating inflammation, inducing relaxation, drowsiness, and alleviating anxiety.
5. Dracaena fragrans cv. Stem resin One source of dragon’s blood is Massangeana, which is utilized in the varnish and photoengraving industries (Bailey and Bailey, 1960).
Management
Cuttings or wildings are used as a boundary marker or a hedge, and the plant is treated as such. Growing at a rapid rate Corn plants love organic soil and require shade. They are drought resilient and can grow in a broad variety of soil types. Root rot can kill plants if they are overwatered. Corn cane is chopped into various lengths and rooted in a nursery container. From the top of the cane cutting, two to three stems sprout, forming numerous crowns of foliage. On a maize plant, a single leaf can endure for several years.
Problems
There aren’t any major bugs or disease issues. A houseplant that is easy to grow. Spider mites, thrips, and scale are all things to keep an eye out for. If soils become excessively wet or dry, leaves may turn brown. Viruses that cause leaf spot Corn Diseases and Pests Leaf spot and root rot are both very damaging to plants.
Propagation
Seeds, cuttings, or tissue culture are all used to propagate the plant. To meet the demands of such a plant, researchers must investigate the various elements that influence explant productivity to standardize the procedure for increasing the multiplication of this vital plant for both indoor and outdoor applications.
Top Questions
Question: What is the Scientific Name of Fragrant dracaena?
ANS: Dracaena fragrans
Question: What is the Common Name of Dracaena fragrans Plant?
ANS: Corn Plant, Fragrant dracaena, Dragon tree?
Question: Name the Family to which Dracaena fragrans Plant?
ANS: Agavaceae
Question: How to Propagate Dracaena fragrans Plant?
ANS: Seeds, cuttings, or tissue culture are all used to propagate the plant.