Dracaena (Sansevieria) bacularis 'Fernwood Mikado'

Around Lake Kivu in Central Africa

Dracaena bacularis comes from the Lake Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It grows in tropical areas with a marked dry season. Underground stems send up shoots that usually carry one slim, cylindrical leaf, although some carry two. Mature plants can produce tall flower stalks with white blooms striped in purple.

Drying and root care for snake plants

• Repotting and propagation: Move to a larger pot when roots fill the container, water begins to bypass the rootball or the rhizomes press against or deform the pot. Rooted shoots or rhizome sections can be separated into new plants.
• Light: In bright, indirect light, Fernwood Mikado produces firm, upright leaves. It also copes with lower light, although growth and water use slow.
• Watering: Let most of the rootball dry before watering thoroughly. Check the centre of the dense cluster as well as the exposed edge, then allow all excess water to drain.
• Substrate and pot: Use a coarse succulent mix that stays airy and does not collapse into a dense mass. Move up only one pot size when needed, and empty any water left in an outer pot.
• Feeding: Apply a dilute balanced fertilizer only while new shoots are forming. Slow growth in dim or cool conditions needs little feeding, and unused fertilizer can accumulate around the roots.

Problems and solutions for Dracaena (Sansevieria) bacularis 'Fernwood Mikado'

• A loose or soft leaf base: Dark, wet or yielding tissue at the base points to damaged roots or an underground rhizome, often after the dense cluster has stayed wet or cold. Remove the inner pot, inspect each rooted piece and keep only leaves with firm bases and sound roots. Do not use a piece with spreading softness for propagation.
• Shrivelling or yellowing: Check moisture below the surface before adding water. A dry, firm rootball needs a thorough soak followed by complete drainage. When wet roots are dark or shed their outer layers, cut away the dead parts and repot in clean, open substrate. Wilt in wet soil is not a sign that the plant needs more water.
• Brown, pale or split marks: A dry mark that follows a bend, tie or rub is permanent mechanical damage and should remain stable. A bleached patch on the light-facing side suggests sudden heat or strong sun. Expanding water-soaked edges or a soft base are different and need prompt inspection.
• Hidden insects: White waxy clusters indicate mealybugs; fixed shell-like bumps may be scale. Search between the rods, around the ties and at soil level. Sticky deposits or sooty mould can accompany some species. Isolate the pot and remove visible insects. Use an indoor-plant treatment whose label names that pest. Apply it between the rods and around the ties, then repeat at the stated interval because eggs and young stages may remain.
• One rod leans or collapses: A Mikado pot often contains many separately rooted leaves, so one piece can fail while its neighbours remain firm. Check the affected leaf's own base and roots; the rest of the cluster may still be healthy. Loosen any binding that cuts into the leaves or holds moisture against them.
• Flies or growth on the substrate: Fungus gnats, algae or harmless surface fungi point to a persistently damp, organic surface; they do not by themselves prove root rot. Remove dead debris, let the mix dry to the depth appropriate for this succulent plant and make sure drainage water cannot remain around the pot.

Dracaena (Sansevieria) bacularis ‘Fernwood Mikado’ is toxic to people and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• It contains saponins that can irritate the mouth and digestive tract.
• Chewing may cause drooling, vomiting, stomach pain, reduced appetite or weakness. Contact a veterinarian or medical professional if symptoms develop.

Why is Sansevieria bacularis now called Dracaena bacularis?

Dracaena comes from Greek drakaina, meaning a female dragon. The epithet bacularis comes from Latin baculum, a stick, rod or staff.

Carl Linnaeus established the genus Dracaena in 1767 in Mantissa Plantarum, page 9; Domenico Vandelli had proposed the name.

Alan Butler and Stephen Jankalski first described it as Sansevieria bacularis in 2010 in Sansevieria, volume 22, page 3; Horst Pfennig had proposed that name. James W. Byng and Maarten J. M. Christenhusz later placed it in Dracaena as Dracaena bacularis in 2018 in Global Flora, volume 4, page 65.

Sansevieria remains common in horticulture. Pei-Luen Lu and Clifford Morden showed that it belongs within Dracaena in a 2014 DNA study in Systematic Botany, volume 39. Kew’s World Checklist treats Sansevieria bacularis as a synonym of Dracaena bacularis.