Wednesday 12 February 2014

SA Garden Catalogue: Dracaena Surculosa


Dracaena surculosa (syn. Dracaena godseffina) is a 'bamboo-like shrubby plant with stems that are slender, flexible and semi-woody'. The leaves may be mottled/spot-variegated in various ways. This plant which some Malaysians call the 'Japanese bamboo', I have always thought to be 'Taiwan bamboo'. Sometimes at the end of January and into early February, beautiful snowflake-like white flowers appear, and they are quite magical, really.


Anyway, I have had many containers of this plant from a long time ago and it is certainly one of the most hardy of all indoor plants. When we were living in Gelugor, Pulau Pinang, we also had the plants outdoors that had birds nesting in them. Now in Shah Alam, I mostly have them outdoors under the porch because this plant is very adaptable and will thrive under a wide range of light conditions from dense shade to full sun. You can propagate it quite easily by cuttings. The origin? Not Japan or Taiwan, but Upper Guinea, according to my reference.

Ref: Tropical horticulture & gardening / Francis S.P. Ng. MPH, 2006. Ex Libris CNB 1866

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