Dracaena (Sansevieria) trifasciata 'Night Shade'

Tropical African species and cultivated selection

Dracaena trifasciata is native from southern Nigeria through west-central tropical Africa to Tanzania and grows from rhizomes in seasonally dry tropical habitats.

The species remains widely known as Sansevieria trifasciata. ‘Night Shade’ is a cultivated dark-foliaged selection.

Dracaena ‘Night Shade’: dry roots and stable margins

Bright filtered light keeps the leaves compact and supports the dark centre with its yellow edge. Introduce direct sun gradually.

• Watering: Soak the rootball, drain it fully and wait until most or all of the pot has dried before watering again.
• Root zone: Use a highly aerated succulent mix in a pot with an open drainage hole. Move up only slightly when roots or rhizomes distort the pot or the tall leaves become unstable.
• Cultivar care: Remove permanently damaged leaves at the base. Offsets and rhizome divisions preserve the yellow margin.
• Cool periods: Feed only during active growth, then reduce both fertiliser and water as light and temperature fall. Keep the plant frost-free and avoid prolonged cool, damp conditions.

Yellowing beyond the ‘Night Shade’ margin

A narrow yellow edge is normal for Dracaena ‘Night Shade’. Yellowing that spreads inward while the leaf base softens or the mix remains wet calls for a check of the base and roots.

Wrinkled leaves with a light, dry pot and firm roots need water. Wrinkling above wet mix or damaged roots requires better drainage and removal of decayed tissue.

Dracaena (Sansevieria) trifasciata ‘Night Shade’ 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 do both Sansevieria trifasciata and Dracaena trifasciata appear?

Dracaena comes from Greek drakaina, meaning a female dragon. The epithet trifasciata means three-banded.

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

David Prain first described it as Sansevieria trifasciata in 1903 in Bengal Plants, volume 2, page 1054. David Mabberley later placed it in Dracaena as Dracaena trifasciata in 2017 in Mabberley’s Plant-book, edition 4, page 1101.

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 trifasciata as a synonym of Dracaena trifasciata.