504 



DRACAENA 



DRACOCEPHALUM 



5. Goldieana, Hoi't. Trunk simple, slender: Ivs. dis- 

 tant, spreading, thick-oblong (7-8 in. x 4-5 in.), cuspi- 

 dately pointed, base broadly rounded or cordate, glossy 

 green, conspicuously white-spotted and banded, young 

 Ivs. often tinged with red; petioles erect (2-3 in. long), 

 deeply grooved: fls. unknown (?). W. Trop. Afr. B.M. 

 6630. R.H. 1878, p. 15. I. H. 25:300; 42, p. 257. G.C. II. 

 17:49. A fine foliage plant. 



6. Sanderiana, Hort. (D. thaloides, var. variegdta, 

 Hort. ?. Slender: Ivs. distant, alternate, spreading or 

 recurved ( 7-10 in. x K-1/-2 in. ) , narrowly lanceolate, acu- 

 minate, on rather broad petioles (1-3 in. long), glossy- 

 green, broadly margined with white. Congo. A.F. 8: 

 1281; 11:235. I. H. 40:175. G.C. III. 13:445. -Int. by 

 Sander & Co. in 1893. 



7. Godseffiana, Hort. Woody, but very slender, rather 

 diffuse: Ivs. at many nodes small, erect, scale-like and 

 lanceolate, the others opposite or in whorls of 3, oblong 

 or obovate, spreading, cuspidate, sessile (3-4 in. x l%-2 

 in.), firm, green, with copious white spots : raceme 

 short-peduncled; bracts small : fr. globular, greenish 

 yellow or red, nearly 1 in. in diam. Congo. G.C. III. 

 21:347. Gn. 50, p. 276; 51:1115, and p. 299. A.F. 13:1340. 

 F.E. 10, supp. 2:12. Gng. 6:294. Int. by Sander & Co. 

 Fine for decorative purposes. 



D. arborea, Link. Lvs. green, sword-shaped, dense, sessile. 

 Gt. 46, p. 226 and 1438.-I>. Broomfieldi, Hort. J.H. III. 33:541. 

 G.C. III. 20:667; 23:249. D. concinna, Kunth. Lvs. oblanceo- 

 late, green, purple on the margin, green-petioled. Gt. 441:1864. 

 D. cylindrica. Hook. Lvs. linear-lanceolate or obovate-lanceo- 

 late, bright green, spreading. B.M. 5846. D. elliptica, Thunb. 

 Lvs. spreading, petioled, thickish, elliptic-lanceolate, glossy, 

 acute, longitudinally striate. B.M. 4787 and G.C. II. 17:261 

 (var. maculata) . D. Eeckhanti, Hort. F.R. 446: 1899. D. ensi- 

 fdlia, Hort. Amer. =Dianella ensifolia. D. marginata. Lam. 

 Lvs. sword-shaped, dense, spreading, green margined and 

 veined with red. D. marmordta, Hort. B.M. 7078. D. phry- 

 nioldes, Hook. Lvs. petioled, mostly oval, acuminate, coria- 

 ceous, spotted with yellowish white, pale beneath. B.M. 5352. 

 D. reflexa, Lam. Lvs. lanceolate or sword-shaped, acute, con- 

 tracted into a petiole. D. Saposchnikowi, Regel. Lvs. sword- 

 shaped, crowded, green. Gt. 705. D. Smithii, Baker. Lvs. large, 

 narrowly sword-shaped, crowded bright green. B.M. 6169. 



K. M. WlEGAND. 



Dracaenas should be divided into two sections or 

 types for practical purposes : 



(1) The Tropical type: This includes the colored fo- 

 liage sorts and the garden hybrids, all of which can be 

 propagated from both root and stem -cuttings or joints. 

 All of them require a stove or warmhouse temperature, 

 and must be grown quick, and never allowed to get pot- 

 bound until they are as large as required ; then they can 

 be allowed to get pot-bound, and with liquid or other 

 stimulant and plenty of light will color well. 



(2) The Cordyline or Subtropical or Australian type: 

 This embraces the kinds known to gardeners as aus- 

 tralis, indivisa, lineata, sanguined, aurea-striata, 

 Doucetiana,timbraculifera,JRumphii. Nearly all of these 

 are propagated from seeds, and require a cooler tem- 

 perature. 



Following are some popular current Dracaenas : San- 

 deriana makes not only a perfect center plant for table 

 jardinieres with small ferns and selaginellas, but it also 

 makes a fine large decorative plant by putting from 3- 

 5 in a 4-5 in. pot, and letting them get fairly well pot- 

 bound until each plant throws up shoots from the base ; 

 then repot, and one will have a fine, large specimen in a 

 short time. Godseffiana is a valuable plant for a hang- 

 ing basket, easily propagated from top shoots. Other 

 popular kinds are: Norwoodiensis , albo-marginata, 

 terminalis alba, Gladstonei (one of the most brilliantly 

 colored of the broad-leaved type), Guilfoylei, Aner- 

 leyensis, Scottii, hybrida, metallica, ferrea, De-Smet- 

 iana, Victorice-Regince, Sanderiana, Godseffiana, 

 gracilis. H. A. SIEBBECHT. 



DRACOCEPHALUM (Greek, dragon's head, from the 

 wide-open mouths of the flowers). Labiate. This 

 genus contains a few hardy herbaceous perennial plants 

 of the mint family, of easy culture and of minor im- 

 portance. The whorls of fls. are distant or crowded into 

 spikes or heads, the colors blue or some shade of pur- 

 ple. The genus has altogether about 30 species, from 

 Europe, especially the Mediterranean region; also Asia 

 outside the tropics. All the species described below are 



erect, but some others are diffuse : uppermost Ivs. like 

 the lower ones or reduced to bracts. Very closely allied 

 to Nepeta. Sandy loam, moderately rich, and a rather 

 moist, partially shaded situation will suit these plants 

 best. In a sunny, dry border they are never very 

 showy; the fls. are of short duration, and are seldom at 

 their best except in very moist seasons. Prop, by di- 

 vision or seeds. 



734. Dracunculus vulgaris (X%). 



A. Lvs. entire, not cut in any way. 

 Ruyschianum, Linn. Stems slightly pubescent: Ivs. 

 linear-lanceolate, glabrous: bracts ovate-lanceolate, en- 

 tire; whorls in somewhat interrupted spikes: fls. 1 in. 

 long, purplish blue or purple; anthers villous. Siberia. 

 Var. Japdnicum, Hort., has white fls. shaded with blue, 

 and is a distinct improvement. G.C. II. 12:167. Ac- 

 cording to Vilmorin, this species has been sold as D. 

 Altaiense (see D. grandiflorum). 



AA. Lvs. deeply 3-5-cleft. 



Austriacum, Linn., has the habit of the above, and be- 

 longs to the same subgenus Ruyschiana, but the Ivs. 

 are divided and more distinctly re volute at the margin. 

 About 1-1% ft. high : fls. blue, l>in. long and more. 

 July, Aug. Eu., Caucasus. 



AAA. Lvs. cut only at the margin, mostly crenate. 

 B. Whorls crowded together into spikes or heads. 



c. Color of fls. blue: Ivs. not wrinkled. 

 grandiflorum, Linn. (D. Altaiense, Laxm., but plants 

 in trade under this name are said to be D. Ruyschiana). 

 About 1 ft. high. Root-lvs. long-stalked, oblong, notches 

 at base: stem-lvs. few, short-stalked, ovate, not notched 

 at base, the uppermost still more rounded: whorls in 

 spikes 2-3 in. long, the lowest whorl usually at some dis- 

 tance: fls. 2 in. long. June, July. Siberia. B.M. 1009. 

 P.M. 13:51. 



cc. Color of fls. purple: Ivs. wrinkled. 

 specidsum, Benth. Allied to D. grandiflorum, but 

 stem pubescent instead of pilose above, root-lvs. more 



