Dracaena angolensis

Where Dracaena angolensis comes from and how its name changed

Native to Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Dracaena angolensis grows in warm areas with a long dry season. Its thick leaves and underground rhizomes store water and nutrients, helping it through long gaps between rain. The species name angolensis refers to Angola.

For many years, this plant was known as Sansevieria cylindrica. The name Dracaena angolensis was published in 2018. DNA research showed that the former Sansevieria group belongs within Dracaena, explaining why the species is now classified there.

How to grow Dracaena angolensis indoors

• Light: Give it bright indirect light. If you move it into direct sun, increase the exposure a little at a time.
• Watering: Let the potting mix dry through before watering again. Water thoroughly and allow excess water to drain. Give the mix more time to dry when growth slows in lower light.
• Potting mix: Use a coarse cactus or succulent mix that drains freely, in a pot with drainage holes.
• Temperature: A steady indoor range around 15–24 °C suits the plant well.
• Humidity: Normal household humidity is fine, including drier rooms. After watering, let any water around the leaf bases drain away.
• Feeding: Use a liquid houseplant or cactus fertiliser about once a month while the plant is growing. Feed less often when little new growth is appearing.
• Structure: The leaves stand upright on their own. Choose a well-balanced pot as the clump grows larger.
• Repotting: Repot when the roots and underground stems fill the container or press firmly against it. Choose a slightly larger pot.
• Propagation: Lift and pot up rooted shoots once they have their own roots, or split a mature clump at a natural division in the rhizome. Leaf cuttings can also produce new plants.

Common Dracaena angolensis problems and what to do

• The base becomes soft or the plant starts to wobble: Rot may be affecting the roots or underground stem. Unpot the plant and cut away every soft or rotten part with a clean, disinfected tool until only firm, healthy tissue remains. Throw away the rotten pieces and repot the healthy plant in fresh free-draining mix.
• The leaves become wrinkled or lose firmness: Check the roots and potting mix first. Firm roots in dry mix are ready for a thorough watering. Soft or damaged roots need attention before watering again.
• Brown or soft, wet-looking patches keep spreading: Leaf spot or rot may be affecting the leaves. Isolate the plant, keep the foliage dry and cut away badly affected parts with a clean, disinfected tool. Throw the removed parts away.
• White cottony clusters, sticky residue or fixed bumps appear: Look around the leaf bases and grooves for mealybugs or scale. Remove visible pests, keep the plant separate from nearby plants and use a houseplant treatment that lists the pest on the label. Follow the label for how often to repeat it.
• Fine pale speckling or webbing develops: Check the leaves closely for spider mites and inspect nearby plants as well. Isolate the plant and use a houseplant treatment that lists spider mites on the label. Follow the label for how often to repeat the treatment.

Dracaena angolensis 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.

How did the name change from Sansevieria cylindrica to Dracaena angolensis?

Dracaena comes from Greek drakaina, meaning a female dragon. Angolensis means ‘from Angola’.

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

Élie Abel Carrière first described it as Sansevieria angolensis in 1861 in Revue Horticole (Paris), volume 10, page 447; Friedrich Welwitsch had proposed that name. James W. Byng and Maarten J. M. Christenhusz later placed it in Dracaena as Dracaena angolensis in 2018 in Global Flora, volume 4, page 64.

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 cylindrica as a synonym of Dracaena angolensis.