1169 
DRACAINA* surculdsa. 
Long-shooting Dracena. 
———>—_——_ 
HEXANDRIA MONOGY NILA. 
Nat. ord. ASPARAGER. 
DRACAINA L.— Supra, vol. 12. fol. 956. 
D. surculosa; surculis longis teretibus annulatis subaphyllis, foliis oblongis 
acuminatis subverticillatis, racemis terminalibus corymbosis. 
Frutex 3-4-pedalis, surculos quotannis promens, 2-pedales, teretes, dia- 
metro j-unciale, apice foliosos, per totam longitudinem cicatricibus squa- 
marum deciduarum annulatos. Folia oblonga, acuminata, breviter pedicellata, 
sepiis hic illic ternatim approximata, inde quasi verticillata. Racemi ter- 
minales, corymbost. Flores albi, Sanseviersee propius accedentes quam 
Dracene, et fructu perfecto mox genus novum condituri. 
A very handsome, shrubby, stove, monocotyledonous 
plant, exhibiting, in a small space, what may be termed a 
model of the plan upon which the gigantic Palms of the 
Tropics are formed. It rarely flowers, and has never yet 
produced fruit: it is probable that the latter will shew 
that it constitutes a genus distinct from Draczna, to which 
it is referred on account of its habit rather than of its fruc- 
tification, which approaches that of Sanseviera. 
A native of Sierra Leone, whence it was sent to the 
Horticultural Society by Mr. George Don, in 1821. Our 
drawing was made in the Chiswick Garden, in July 1827. 
A shrub, growing 8 or 4 feet high, and producing yearly 
slender suckers, about 2 feet long, in appearance re- 
sembling those of Asparagus, but hard, deep green, about 
* Draceena is derived from the Greek name of a dragon, dedxwv, in con- 
sequence of some of the genus having been supposed to produce the drug 
“ dragon’s blood.” This was, however, a mistake, 
