Identify this houseplant please.

July 13, 2009 5:44 PM

Please identify this houseplant. This tall and skinny houseplant intrigues me, and I would like to get my own. Who can tell me what it is, and possibly where I would go to get one? (i am a plant newb)
posted by mrgoldenbrown to home & garden (7 comments total)

Looks like a dracaena marginata.
posted by theperfectcrime at 5:47 PM on July 13

Seconding dracaena.
posted by thirteenkiller at 5:48 PM on July 13

As to where you can get one... Dracaena are pretty common, at least round these parts, and you could probably find one in a gardening store or a big box home improvement store or even maybe at a Target or a Wal-Mart. Look around, one will turn up. It might take a few years for it to get that tall, and mine at least has way more leaves than that one, but I guess you can pick them off.
posted by thirteenkiller at 5:52 PM on July 13

3 minutes from posting to answer, with confirmation a minute after that! I need to use askMefi more often. Thanks folks!
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 6:38 PM on July 13

I've also seen it called a "dragon tree". Easy to take care of Some water when it's looking lip and some indirect sun. Mine grow about 18 inches a year and if you want another one you can simply lop the top off and plant it, both will grow. (Probably.)

Bought my first few in one pot at the local plant store. I have about twice as many now.
posted by Ookseer at 10:03 PM on July 13

I am confirming that you can behead the plant, stuck the top part in dirt and it will root and you will have a short version of the tall one you just beheaded. Further, if you leave the stump/roots of the old one in the pot and continue watering it, in about 2 months you will notice little green things poking out near the top of the stump. Thus one plant became two.

This may be completely doofy sounding to someone who actually knows anything about plants, but I did this to my dracaena in May because the stalks were about to hit the ceiling. I was terrified, I felt like I was killing it. I didn't! And now I have twice as many!
posted by 8dot3 at 6:31 AM on July 14

I had one of these "Dragon Palms" for nearly 10 years. It was the most forgiving plant I've ever had and was darn near impossible to kill; great for a plant newbie. Unfortunately, it did get a bit top-heavy and eventually tipped itself over and died while I was away on vacation... I'd recommend reinforcing it with a stake or something.
posted by Cygnet at 12:13 PM on July 14