Houseplant · Asparagaceae
Madagascar Dragon Tree
Dracaena reflexa var. angustifolia
Give it bright indirect light and fluoride-free water, and those red-edged blades stay crisp and unblemished.
Bright indirect
60–70°F · 16–21°C
USDA 10–12
6–20 ft · 1.8–6.1 m
Overview
The Madagascar dragon tree builds itself from slender, upright canes, each one crowned with a dense rosette of arching, sword-shaped leaves. The blades are narrow and stiff, drawn to a fine point and lined along each edge with a thin red margin that runs the full length of the leaf. It is one of the most forgiving houseplants there is, native to Madagascar and the islands nearby, and indoors it grows slowly into a sculptural, tree-like form of bare stem below and a green tuft above.
Look closely at an older plant and the canes tell its history. As they lengthen they shed their lowest leaves and leave behind small diamond-shaped scars, so the bare wood is patterned all the way up to the living crown. It does best in bright indirect light, which deepens the red in the leaf margins, but it takes medium light and even a dim spot. The fluoride in ordinary tap water is its weakness, browning the fine leaf tips, so distilled water or rainwater keeps the blades clean-edged.
Several named forms shift the color in the leaves, from blades striped in three colors to margins so broad the whole plant flushes red. The underlying plant is the same slim-leaved, slow-growing tree in every case, only the pigment in the foliage changes.
Care
The short version: bright indirect light, distilled water or rainwater once the surface dries, a warm 60°F to 70°F (16°C to 21°C), and a light feed through spring and summer.
Light
The dragon tree shows its best color in bright indirect light, which holds the red sharp along the leaf margins, though it is more flexible than most. It takes medium light, low light, and partial shade, but a brighter spot keeps the blades richly colored and the canes from stretching pale and thin.
Water
Let the top of the soil dry before watering, then water thoroughly and tip out whatever pools in the saucer. Keep it evenly moist through spring and summer and ease off from fall into late winter. Use distilled water or rainwater, since tap-water fluoride scorches the fine leaf tips brown, and skip cold water.
Soil
Pot it in a loamy, peaty, well-drained mix rich in organic matter. A slightly acidic pH of 6.0 to 6.5 suits the roots and also keeps fluoride from building up where they feed.
Temperature
Keep it warm and steady at 60°F to 70°F (16°C to 21°C), with nights a touch cooler. Cold drafts are its undoing, and a sudden chill can strip the canes of leaves in a hurry.
Humidity
Average room humidity suits it, and it holds down to about 30%. A little extra moisture in dry, heated rooms keeps the blade tips from drying and makes spider mites less likely to settle on the undersides.
Feeding
Feed monthly through spring and summer with a liquid houseplant fertilizer, and none over the cooler months. Keep it light, and avoid anything with superphosphate, since the fluoride it carries burns brown patches into the leaves.
Pruning
The dragon tree takes pruning well, so a cane cut back when it grows too tall will resprout a fresh tuft below the cut. The lowest leaves drop on their own as the canes age, leaving the diamond-shaped scars patterned up the bare wood.
Repotting
This slow grower needs repotting only every 2 to 3 years, or when roots circle the pot, push out the drainage holes, or water runs straight through. Otherwise it sits content with its roots packed in a snug pot.
Size & spacing
Indoors it usually tops out around 6 feet, but left unchecked it can reach 6 to 20 feet (1.8 to 6 m) tall on its slim canes and spread its arching crown 3 to 10 feet (91 cm to 3 m) wide, so a mature plant needs room for the leaves to fan out.
Troubleshooting
Trouble on a dragon tree reads straight off the leaves, in browning tips, pale speckles, or a sudden bare patch, and water or the air around it is usually behind it. Catching those marks early lets you step in before they spread across the blades. Match what you see to the descriptions below and act while it still helps.
Soft, mushy canes and a browning crown
Soggy soil, browning leaves, and a base that gives softly under a finger point to root rot, which sets in when the roots stay wet too long. Firm, pale roots are healthy, so brown, mushy ones confirm it. Cut back on water, repot into fresh well-drained mix and trim away the rotted roots, and make sure the pot drains freely with no water left standing in the saucer.
Fix:
- Reduce watering and let the soil surface dry between waterings
- Repot into fresh, well-drained mix and trim rotted roots
- Ensure the pot has drainage holes and empty saucers
A whole flush of leaves dropping from the crown
When a dragon tree drops a mass of leaves at once, leaving the crown thin, the usual cause is shock from a cold draft, a sudden move, or a temperature swing. Soggy soil and a heavy pest outbreak can strip the blades the same way. Settle it somewhere stable at 60°F to 70°F (16°C to 21°C), away from drafts and heat sources, correct the watering, and check the leaf undersides for insects.
Fix:
- Move the plant away from drafts and heat/cold sources and keep temperatures 60-70°F
- Correct watering and ensure the pot drains freely
- Inspect for and treat insect infestations
Fine webbing and pale speckling stippling the blades
Fine webbing strung along the leaf undersides and a stippled scatter of pale speckles across the green mean spider mites, which thrive in hot, dry indoor air. Rinse the foliage and raise the humidity to make the blades less welcoming. Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, repeating until the mites are gone for good.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage and raise humidity
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, repeating as needed
Cottony white tufts or hard bumps with a sticky film
Cottony white clusters wedged into the leaf axils are mealybugs, while hard or soft bumps studding the canes are scale, and both leave a sticky honeydew slicking the foliage. Dab the insects off with a swab of rubbing alcohol, then follow with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil as the outbreak demands. Keep the plant apart from your others so the pests do not spread.
Fix:
- Wipe or dab insects with an alcohol-moistened swab
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, repeating as needed
- Isolate the plant to prevent spread
Brown, scorched tips running down the leaf edges
Browning that starts at the fine tips and creeps down the margins is almost always fluoride damage, since the dragon tree reacts badly to the fluoride in ordinary tap water. Salts built up from heavy feeding or superphosphate fertilizer scorch the blades the same way. Switch to distilled water or rainwater, hold the pH between 6.0 and 6.5, ease off the feeding, and trim the dead tips back to clean green.
Fix:
- Switch to distilled water or rainwater, or let tap water stand 24 hours before use
- Maintain soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5
- Stop using fertilizers containing superphosphate and avoid over-fertilizing
- Trim damaged tips for appearance
The lowest blades yellowing and dropping from the cane
Yellowing confined to the oldest, lowest leaves is just normal aging. As each cane lengthens it sheds those bottom blades and leaves behind the small diamond-shaped scars that pattern the bare wood, while the rosette at the top stays green and firm. Pull the spent leaves off for a clean stem, and cut a long bare cane back when you want a fresh tuft, since it will resprout.
Fix:
- No action needed; remove spent leaves for tidiness
- Cut back leggy canes if a fuller habit is wanted - they will resprout
Dead spots and lesions pocking the blades
Discrete spots or sunken dead patches scattered across the blades usually come from a leaf spot disease, though thrips and other chewing insects can pock them the same way. Pull off the marked leaves, open up the air around the plant, and keep water off the foliage so spores find no film to spread in. If insects show up, treat them too.
Fix:
- Remove affected leaves
- Improve air circulation and avoid wetting foliage
- Treat insect pests if present
Toxicity
The dragon tree is toxic to pets. Every part of it, from the slim blades to the woody canes, holds saponins that upset an animal's stomach when chewed, and cats are the most drawn to the thin, ribbon-like leaves. People are essentially safe, but no part is meant for eating, so keep it out of reach of pets and small children.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Safe for
People
Cats Moderate
Cats are the most likely to nibble the thin blades, and the saponins affect them most. Watch for vomiting, sometimes streaked with blood, along with drooling, a lost appetite, and a flat, depressed mood, and widened, dilated pupils are a telltale sign.
Dogs Moderate
A dog that chews the leaves may vomit, occasionally with a little blood, and turn dull and off its food, often with heavy drooling alongside.
Horses Moderate
The ASPCA lists the dragon tree as toxic to horses as well, where the same saponins bring on stomach upset, drooling, and a sluggish, depressed manner.
Rabbits Caution
The saponins that trouble other animals would unsettle a rabbit's gut too, so keep the blades well out of reach and treat any nibbling as a reason to call the vet.
Livestock Caution
Grazing animals such as goats and sheep can react to the same saponins with drooling and digestive upset, so fence the plant off from anywhere they roam.
Birds Caution
A pet bird that picks at the foliage may end up with an upset crop and a quiet, off-color spell, so it is safest kept away from the cage.
People Low
People are essentially safe around the dragon tree, and a stray nibble does little more than leave a faintly bitter taste. Still, no part is meant for eating, so steer young children away from the leaves.
Keep out of reach of pets; cats in particular may chew the thin leaves. Ingestion of any plant material can also cause general GI upset
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
United Kingdom
Animal PoisonLine: 01202 509000 (fee applies)
Australia
Animal Poisons Helpline: 1300 869 738
Varieties
Most dragon trees sold come down to a few named forms, and it is the color running through the leaves that tells them apart. These are the ones worth knowing by name.
'Tricolor'
Three colors run down a single blade at once, striped in green, cream, and red along its length.
'Colorama'
The most saturated of the group, its reddish margins so broad they flush the whole plant pink.
'Bicolor'
A simpler two-tone blade, green leaves crossed with reddish bands.
'Magenta'
Named for the deep reddish-purple that lines the edge of every leaf.
'Tarzan'
The heavy one, with thicker canes and a denser, more upright crown of blades.
How to propagate
The dragon tree multiplies easily from its own canes, and a single tall, bare-stemmed plant can give you several new ones from the same wood.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring or late summer · Several weeks to root
Cuttings are the easiest way to raise more dragon trees from the wood you already have. Take them in spring or late summer, rooting tip cuttings, sections of bare cane, or basal shoots pulled from the base. Stand them in moist mix and give them several weeks to push out roots.
Air layeringModerate
Spring or summer · Several weeks
Air-layering suits a tall, leggy cane you want to shorten without losing the leafy top. Work it in spring or summer and let it root in place over several weeks before you cut the new plant free.
DivisionModerate
Spring at repotting · Several weeks
Division is a tidy option at repotting time in spring. Separate the basal shoots and offsets from the parent, pot them up on their own, and give them several weeks to root into independent plants.
Myths
A dragon tree will clean the air in your home.
It will not. A review of chamber studies found that potted plants do almost nothing for indoor air at any realistic scale. The blades of a single plant clean only a tiny amount, and you would need 10 to 1,000 plants per square meter to match what normal ventilation already does. Keep the dragon tree for its red-edged leaves, not as an air filter.
Dropping its lower leaves means the plant is dying.
Losing the bottom blades is simply how the canes climb taller. The plant sheds its oldest leaves and leaves behind the diamond-shaped scars that pattern the bare wood, while the crown up top stays full and green. A little leaf drop from the base is healthy, not a warning sign.