Help identifing a plant?

Question

I can't find this plant on any website and I want to know how to take the best care of it. Please see pics below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28878483@N03/2695036901/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28878483@N03/2695855126/

Answer 1

It looks like a Madagascar Dragon Tree to me.  It requires moderate to low light levels.  Keep the soil fairly moist at all times. Dracaena's are native to the African jungles, so they do require higher humidity levels. If the tips of the foliage begin to brown, it may be a sign that there is not enough humidity in the air.

Keep in mind, this houseplant sheds its bottom foliage frequently. This does not mean you are doing anything wrong in terms of caring for it. Just as the plant grows the bottom leaves shed.

Answer 2

Yeah, you're right, is a Dragon Tree.  I went back to compare.

Answer 3

It's a species called Dracena maginata or Magascar Dragon Plant. It's a cultivar called Tricolor. The original species has only green leaves with purple edges.

Dracaena Marginata - The Names, Cultivars, Forms and CareThe Dracaena marginata a member of the Dracaena family (Liliaceae), the family that provides some of the most durable plants used indoors in offices building, hotels and malls but also as an everyday house plant. Dracaena marginata is probably the most versatile of all the Dracaenas. Some confuse this houseplant with a palm. Although it may look palm-like as a larger specimen it is in the same family as the popular Yucca plant.

Marginata Ranks in Top 10!

Great Plants in Low Light

Versatile, Unique, Small & Large

More Here...

Dracaena Marginata Hot For?

Formaldehyde, Benzene

Carbon Monoxide

Learn More Here... The Dracaena marginata goes by many different names:

Dracaena marginata

Red edge dracaena

Madagascar dragon tree

Tree Dracaena

Add to that the marginata also has a few different 'cultivars':

'Tarzan'

Magenta

Tricolor

Colorama

Throw in a few forms this versatile tropical is grown in:

Bush

Straight cane

Staggered cane

Tree form

Character forms

… And it's easy to see why the Dracaena marginata is one popular plant for indoor use. In general the marginata is rugged and carefree as an indoor plant adding a tropical appearance to any room it graces.

When planted in the landscape outdoors in south Florida a marginata can grow to heights of approximately 15 feet. The leaves with red to purple stripes running along the edge find themselves sit atop long slender "canes". As new leaves emerge the oldest mature leaves yellow and fall off.

When marginata is grown for indoor use "stock" plants are planted the growing tips or long thin stems called "canes" are cut and rooted. The rooted plants are planted into a variety of forms and grown on for use as a houseplant or in commercial applications by interiorscapers or plantscapers.

The marginata makes for a great focal point in a room and many designers use the staggered form or character form to create interest.

One big advantage most all the Dracaenas provide for use as a house plant is the small footprint. You can get a tall upright 6' character plant or other different and unique looks, which uses very little floor space.

Using canes of various lengths either straight, with bends and curves or multiple heads and planting the canes together lets growers produce fuller plants.

Care Guide: How to Care for Your Marginata.

Marginata Culture

Like most Dracaenas the marginata will give you best results in bright yet indirect light. Although bright light is the preference it will handle lower light levels and the leaves will be thinner. Plants sold as house plants have been acclimated to lower light, beware if you place an acclimated marginata in direct light of a period of time the leaves may get bleach spots or patches.

I like to use sub-irrigation on my plants indoors and self-watering planters allow Dracaenas to evenly water the soil and also dry out evenly between refilling the reservoir. If you're watering from the top let the plant dry out a little between waterings. When the soil is dry to the tough - water the plant thoroughly and drain off the excess water.

What temperatures are best? The marginata is much like you enjoying a comfortable 75 degrees, allowing for this top notch "plant air cleaner" to remove pollutants like Formaldehyde from the air.

The leaves of any Dracaena over time will grab their share of dust. Clean the regularly and remove the dust by wiping the leaves with a damp cloth.

Most plants you buy for the home will have enough fertilizer to last a long time - in general stay away from fertilizing indoor plants but if you must a weak liquid food will do.

If the plant's stems become too long and bare, cut them off at the desired height and new leaves will soon appear.

Dracaena Problems

Fortunately, indoors plant disease is a rare problem on the Dracaena family as a whole. The biggest problem come normally from improper watering - too much or too little - that's why I like sub-irrigation and the next problem would come from pests like insects or spider mites.

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Root rot usually finds its way into the Dracaena problem camp when the soil is overwatered on a frequent basis or the soil mix does not drain quickly enough. For most new to house plant care it's the overwatering that hurts the plant.

When the humidity gets to low like during the winter months leaf tips can brown.

If your marginata suffers from a sudden loss of leaves look for a number of possible causes:

Exposure to temperature changes

Cool drafts

Overwatering or too much water

Poor drainage (e.g. sitting in a saucer full of water)

Heavy insect infestations

Another reason to stay away from fertilizing is because of fertilizer burn. Just like a lawn can be burned with fertilizer so can a Dracaena. The leaf tips and margins can become yellow or burn from over fertilizing.

Dracaenas are also very fluoride sensitive. This often shows up in yellowing on the leaf tips.

Learn the Secrets of How to Care for Your Dracaena

Marginata Cultivars

'Tarzan' USPP #15,065

Dracaena 'Tarzan' looks to be the new "King of the Marginata" world. Dracaena 'Tarzan' holds U.S. Plant Patent #15,065 and was discovered in 1998 as a single plant by Sunshine Tropical Foliage.

While 'Tarzan' grows much like a marginata its leaves are distinctively wider, longer with a dark purple colored margin highlighted against the green glossy foliage. In lower light levels 'Tarzan' will hold more it's leaves better and even grow setting itself apart from the regular marginata.

Here's a few unique characteristics distinguishing 'Tarzan' as a new distinct cultivar:

Growth habit - Upright

Slender stems mature to a woody trunk

Fleshy leaves, glossy dark green in color with dark purple-colored margins

Durable with excellent keeping quality

Resistant to pests

The care for Dracaena 'Tarzan' is like most Dracaenas.

'Tarzan' when used as a stand alone specimen makes a statement and can fill up and bring to life an otherwise barren corner.

Hail to the new 'King of Marginata'

Magenta

The 'Magenta' cultivar gets it's name from the almost burgundy or magenta color down the leaf edge. The variety is slowly see more production, but takes time to build a large enough stock to produce as many different forms you see in marginata.

'Magenta' in my opinion has a 'softer' look than the regular marginata variety.

After 'Tarzan', 'Magenta' would be my second choice.

Tricolor

'Tricolor' with its red leaf margins and white band or stripe running down the green leaf has been around for years but never quite caught on in popularity. Most likely the white band in the leaves requires more light indoors to maintain a healthy plant. This variety will require more light than regular marginata.

Colorama

'Colorama' similar in appearance and growth to `Tricolor' except you'll find red and ivory bands in the central section of the leaf.

Both 'Tricolor' and 'Colorama' have less chlorophyll than the common green species. They DO NOT grow as fast and require much more light to live indoors. If you do not have a very bright area for 'Tricolor' or 'Colorama' varieties do not even attempt them indoors.

This versatile, easy care and unique looking plant available in so many forms fits into most any indoor area making it easy to see why the Dracaena marginata is a popular and important plant for use indoors. You can find the Dracaena marginata is almost any nursery or garden center.

Answer 4

RAINBOW TREE   Dracaena marginata 'Tricolor' Variegated Madagascar Dragon-Tree.  It is a fine-textured, evergreen shrub is distinguished by its relatively thin and irregular stems that are topped by a rosette of ribbon-like leaves ( Fig. 1 ). The stems of this plant can reach a height of 15 feet and are covered with distinctive foliar scars. The variegated, leathery leaves have a purple stripe along their margins. The white and red flowers occur in elongate panicles above the leaves and are not showy. The small, golden berries of this shrub are also insignificant and not commonly produced in Florida. Multiple thin, curving stalks with narrow ribbon-like, green leaves edged in purplish-red and having a gold stripe along the leaf margin, distinguish this Dracaena from its multitude of relatives.       http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week367.sh...

Answer 5

It looks very much like a dracaena marginata & may be worth checking on Dracaena.com where you can also get care advice

They are "tropical" indoor plants & often used in offices etc where they help clean the air

Answer 6

This is a  Dracaena marginata tricolour. I have one.

They like bright light but not direct sunlight. Do not overfeed or overwater - especially in winter.

Over watering - pale, dwarfed new growth, brown tipping, rotting, stinky stalks (remove these immediately).

Under watering - bright yellow lower leaves, droopy heads,

wrinkled stalks.

If it gets too tall you can cut it back a bit one stalk at a time.