Dracaena aletriformis (Large-leaved dragon-tree)

Dracaena aletriformis (Large-leaved dragon-tree)

Grootblaardrakeboom [Afrikaans]; siKhonkhwane [Swazi]; photsoloma [North Sotho]; Tshila-mbila [Venda]

Life > eukaryotes > Archaeoplastida > Chloroplastida > Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants) > Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants) > Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering plants) > Monocotyledons > Order: Asparagales > Family: Asparagaceae > Genus: Dracaena


Dracaena aletriformis, Kei River Mouth, Eastern Cape, South Africa. [image Quartus Grobler ©, from iNaturalist]

Dracaena aletriformis, Nseleni Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. [images Craig Gibbon ©]

Dracaena aletriformis, Umgeni River Nature Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. [image Andrew Deacon ©, from iNaturalist]	Dracaena aletriformis, Umhlanga Lagoon, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. [image Lize von Staden ©, from iNaturalist]

A shrub or small tree usually with a main stem topped by a rosette of elongate (usually 60-100 cm long) leaves. Grows in the shady understorey of forests in South Africa and Swaziland, its distribution extending from the Eastern Cape to Limpopo.

Identification

A shrub or small tree, growing from 1-5 m high. Usually has a single main stem, but is sometimes branched. Plants often grow in large clumps.
The large, leathery leaves are crowded in rosettes at the ends of stems. They are generally longer than 60 cm (up to 100 cm) without a prominent midrib, thus separating it from Dracaena mannii (Small-leaved dragon-tree) and Dracaena transvaalensis (Wolkberg dragon-tree). Leaves are also longer than 60 cm in Dracaena steudneri (Northern large-leaved dragon-tree) but this latter species is found in Zimbabwe, where Dracaena aletriformis is absent.
The greenish-white flowers are in large sprays up to 1 m long.
Fruit are one- or two- lobed and up to 2 cm in diameter, turning orange-red when ripe.

Distribution and habitat

Found in the under-storey of forests of the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Limpopo, and Swaziland. I have seen it in the forests of the Vredefort Dome area, which lies in the Northwest Province.

Ecological interactions

Flowers attract insects such as butterflies and bees.
Fruit are eaten by:
- birds
  - Cossypha natalensis (Red-capped robin-chat, Natal robin)
  - Cercotrichas signata (Brown scrub-robin)

See also ecological interactions listed under Dracaena.

Phenology

Flowers in summer from November to February.
Fruits in late summer, autumn, from February to April.

Uses

Cultivated in gardens because of its interesting shape. Plants need to be planted in the shade in deep, humus-rich soil. Because it like deep shade, it can also be grown as an indoor plant.
In the Eastern Cape, the roots are evidently crushed and used as a wash to drive off evil spirits.

References

Palgrave, K.C. and Palgrave, M.C. 2002. Trees of Southern Africa. 3rd Edition. Struik Publishers, Cape Town.
Schmidt, E., Lotter, M., McCleland, W. and Burrows, J.E. 2002. Trees and Shrubs of Mpumalanga and Kruger National Park. Jacana, Johannesburg.