Dracaena Marginata (Madagascar Dragon Tree) Guide

By Tom Knight

About the Dragon Tree

The Madagascar Dragon Tree or Dracaena Marginata is just one of the many beautiful houseplants belonging to the Dracaena Genus.

They make great potted plants and although they can be slow growers, they're very long lived and their easy going nature means they should be long term houseguests.

Even though Dragon Trees can grow tall they don't need lots of root space

The common name "Madagascar Dragon Tree" is a combination of its native origin, "Madagascar" and its famous cousin Dracaena Draco (meaning Dragon). A plant that's well known for its tendency to ooze red blood like resin when cut or damaged, giving it an "alive" quality.

There is also an old legend that once a hundred-headed dragon was defeated and where it's red blood flowed, hundreds of Trees grew which locals at the time called Dragon Trees.

Before you go cutting your Dragon Tree looking for this mysterious blood, only D. Draco has the red resin whereas the common houseplant D. Marginata doesn't.

How do you pronounce Dracaena Marginata correctly? Say: druh-SEE-nuh mar-jih-NAY-tuh

Like the other Dracaena varieties grown indoors, this houseplant has many advantages that make it fantastic to have around.

The first selling point is that it's still super popular today, even though it's been living in homes and workplaces since the 1960's it's escaped that dreaded "old fashioned" label.

The growth pattern is also an advantage because D. Marginata tends to remain quite slender and tall even after many years of growth and still looks great even when it's reaching its maximum indoor height.

The stems are stiff and sturdy so it can also fully support itself without any help from you. As it ages you might need to provide a little support if you're not happy with the direction the stems are hanging in.

Arguably this is one of the cheapest houseplants to buy and easiest to look after. Another perk is that the Dragon Tree will clean the air (a little bit) and is especially adept at filtering out xylene and trichloroethylene.

Finally, it also gives you a reasonable choice to pick from in terms of looks. Here are some of the more popular cultivars and varieties. Various d. marginata houseplant varieties.

Various d. marginata houseplant varieties.

D. marginata

The original Dragon tree. The leaves have a narrow red-purple like banding along the edges, with the central parts being a darker green (top picture).

D. marginata 'tricolor'

Tricolor is the same as the original Marginata except it has three colours in its leaves. A band of yellow separates the light green from the edged red stripes, producing an overall greenish-gold effect (middle picture).

D. marginata 'colorama'

This is a modern cultivar, with the same growth pattern as the original (although perhaps a little slower) with the difference between the two being seen once more in the leaves. It mirrors the tricolor with the three colours on the leaves, except the red bands on the outside edges are much more prominent, creating an overall reddish or pinkish look (bottom picture).

D. marginata 'tarzan'

Unlike the previous three, D. marginata 'tarzan' easily stands out as being quite different from the rest.

The leaves are the same colour as the original D. Marginata but they're quite a bit tougher, wider and slightly thicker. At the very top of each stem or cane, the leaves are laid out by the plant in an almost spiky ball shape (to us they look like the end of a Dragon's tail!).

New leaves emerge from the crown and initially point upwards. As they grow and are gradually replaced by newer leaves, the older leaves start pointing sideways, before reaching full maturity and finishing off by pointing downwards.

These downward facing leaves then yellow up and drop off, in this way the canes get longer and longer and the "balls" are able to "travel" upwards.

A large Dracaena marginata 'tarzan' - you can read all about its life towards the end of this article

While it's a unique and interesting looking houseplant, 'tarzan' unfortunately tends to be more expensive to buy which has negatively impacted its availability in shops. So if you like this variety, then be prepared to spend some time searching for it.

Whichever variety or cultivar you have, the care requirements are the same and we're going to go over these now for you.