Dracaena ‘Fernwood Punk’

Dracaena ‘Fernwood Punk’ trade name and Fernwood background

The Fernwood name traces back to a hybrid bred by Rogers Weld of Fernwood Plants in California from Dracaena parva and Dracaena suffruticosa, published as ‘Fernwood’ in 1988. Plants sold as ‘Fernwood Punk’ also appear in the trade as Sansevieria bacularis ‘Fernwood Punk’, so its exact link to that original hybrid is unclear. Dracaena parva occurs from western Kenya to Rwanda and Dracaena suffruticosa from Ethiopia to Malawi, both in seasonally dry parts of eastern Africa. Sansevieria is still common in cultivation, but DNA studies led botanists to include the group in Dracaena; many former Sansevieria names were transferred to Dracaena in 2018.

Indoor growing conditions for Dracaena ‘Fernwood Punk’

• Light: A bright spot with indirect light helps keep the slim leaves firm and upright. It also tolerates light shade. Turn the pot occasionally if the clump starts leaning towards the light, and protect it from strong midday sun.
• Water: Let the potting mix dry before watering again. Water thoroughly and let the pot drain, then wait longer between waterings when the room is cooler or light levels are lower.
• Humidity: Low household humidity suits the narrow succulent leaves. Good airflow helps water dry from the crowded bases after watering.
• Temperature: Keep it around 15–24°C, away from cold draughts and radiators.
• Potting mix: Choose a peat-free cactus or succulent mix that drains freely and a pot with drainage holes.
• Feeding: Apply liquid houseplant or cactus fertiliser about once a month while fresh growth is appearing.
• Repotting: Move up one pot size when roots and new shoots have filled the current pot.
• Propagation: Separate a new shoot once it has developed its own roots, or divide an established plant.

Common problems with Dracaena ‘Fernwood Punk’

• Soft leaf bases or a loose plant: The roots or base may have started to rot after staying wet for too long. Remove the plant from its pot. With a clean, disinfected tool, cut away all soft or rotten tissue until only firm, healthy tissue remains. Discard the rotten material and repot in fresh mix that drains well.
• Wrinkled leaves: Check the potting mix and roots before adding water. Dry mix with firm roots calls for a thorough watering. Damp mix with soft roots points to root damage that needs attention first.
• White cottony clusters deep in the plant: Mealybugs can hide between the crowded leaf bases. Isolate the plant, remove visible pests and use a treatment labelled for indoor ornamental plants if needed. Repeat it only as directed on the label.
• Fine pale speckles or delicate webbing: Check for red spider mites, especially in hot, dry conditions. Isolate the plant and use a suitable treatment as directed on the label.

Dracaena ‘Fernwood Punk’ 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.

When was Dracaena first published, and what does it mean?

Dracaena comes from Greek drakaina, meaning a female dragon.

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

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. James W. Byng and Maarten J. M. Christenhusz published many resulting Dracaena names in 2018 in Global Flora, volume 4.