Aim High With This Tall African Houseplant

Corn dracaena, also called fortune plant (or corn plant for its stalk-like leaves) can reach heights of 6 feet or more indoors, making it striking to use as part of an interior design. It tolerates low light and a bit of neglect, and like most other houseplants, helps purify your indoor air.

Corn plants have woody stalks and are often sold in groups of three canes of varying heights. Corn dracaena has a tall and narrow form with a lush appearance, which makes it great for a tight corner or a high-traffic area.

In this traditional Los Angeles living room, the plant takes up a little niche at the end of the sofa but gives the impression of a tree.

Natural environment: Dracaena is found throughout tropical Africa, from Sudan to Mozambique, west to Côte d'Ivoire and southwest to Angola; it flowers in its natural habitat.


Young corn dracaena plants have a single unbranched stem with a rosette of leaves. Once the growing tip flowers or is cut or damaged, it branches, producing two or more new stems. While branching increases with subsequent flowering episodes, dracaenas generally don't flower as houseplants. You can encourage branching by pruning.

Varieties: Dracaena fragrans 'Massangeana' features a central, broad, lime-green stripe down the middle of the leaf; Dracaena fragrans has solid green leaves and Dracaena fragrans 'Lindenii' has a dark green stripe down the middle and yellow-green leaves.





The NASA Clean Air Study found that the plant is effective in removing indoor pollutants, such as formaldehyde (found in most household objects in the form of urea-formaldehyde resins, and in cigarette smoke), xylene and toluene.


How to care for your corn dracaena:
Temperature: Keep above 55 degrees Fahrenheit if possible. The plant is happiest in the mid 70s.Lighting: Moderate to low, making dracaenas perfect for corners and hallways. They will also be happy in bright indirect sunlight.Water: Moderate; water thoroughly once every seven to 10 days or when the soil is dry to the touch at a depth of 1 inch. The plant is sensitive to fluoride, so use nonfluoridated water. The roots are shallow and located close to the canes. Water near the base of each cane to provide the roots with water. Yellowing or drooping leaves could be a sign of overwatering.Soil: Use a well-draining potting soil.Feeding: Once a month use a liquid fertilizer containing a balanced mix of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.General: Corn dracaena is usually resistant to many common houseplant pests. If your corn plant does become infected with bugs or mites, spraying a mixture of water and dish soap over the plant should resolve the problem. The leaves can become brown due to lack of water, lack of humidity (usually in heated homes in the winter) or too much light or direct sun. Try to replicate the corn dracaena's native hot, humid environment (40 percent humidity) by misting corn plants with a spray bottle filled with room-temperature water. Alternatively, group corn dracaena with other houseplants, which will also create greater humidity.Caution: Corn dracaena can be toxic to certain pets if ingested. See other plants to keep away from pets

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