Native Dracaena, Suji dracaena
Dracaena angustifolia

Family: Asparagaceae

What it is like

A tall slender shrub. It forms suckers. It has rhizomes or underground stems. It grows 3-8 m high and spreads 1-2 m wide. It can often be sprawling or climbing. The stems are slender and pithy. They are densely covered with scars from the leaf sheaths. The bark is dark grey. The leaves are 12-40 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. They are strap like. They are green, soft and pointed. They are crowded near the top of a stem. They occur in whorls or rings. The flower panicle is 15-40 cm long. It is at the end of the branch and has many branches. The flowers are 1.5-3 cm long and white. They have a scent. They are like tubes at the base. They have lobes which are narrow and spreading or curve back. The fruit is a berry. It is 1-1.5 cm across and brownish-red. It has a brownish pulp. It contains 1-3 large seeds.

There are 140 Pleomele species. Also put in the family Dracaenaceae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in northern Australia. It grows in sheltered rainforests often near the sea. It suits humid locations. They are very sensitive to cold. It needs a shady position and well drained soil. In China it grows in forests and thickets. In Townsville Anderson BG.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Andaman Islands, Asia, Australia, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, East Africa, East Timor, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Myanmar, Niue, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, SE Asia, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The very young leaves are cooked and eaten. They are also used in vegetable curry. They are also pounded and mixed with water to give a juice used to colour rice green. The roasted fruit are eaten.

They are sold in local markets.

Edible parts

Leaves, shoots

How it is grown

It can be grown from seed which must be sown fresh. It can also be grown from cuttings which strike easily. As well it can be grown from dividing the basal clump of the plant.

Its other names

Local names

Buckripathi, Chang hua long zue shu, Dandagu, Danalet, Khon khaen, Pandan suji, Semar, Sudji, Tavivolavy, Tsikasinkasina, Txoob ntuab, Zibak

Synonyms

Cordyline fruticosa Gopp. [Invalid]; Cordyline reflexa (Lam.) Endl.; ? Cordyline rumphii Hook.; Cordyline terminalis Dracaena australasica (Ridl.) Jankalski; Dracaena ensiformis Wall. ex Voigt; Dracaena fruticosa K. Koch; Dracaena linearifolia Kurz; Dracaena menglaensis G. Z. Ye; Dracaena quitensis Baker; Draco angustifolia (Roxb.) Kuntze; Draco fruticosa (K Koch) Kuntze; Pandanus inermis Blanco [Illegitimate]; Pleomele angustifolia (Medik) N. E. Br.; Pleomele australasica Ridl.; Pleomele flexuosa (Blume) N. E. Br.; Pleomele fruticosa (K. Koch) N. E. Br.; Sansevieria flexuosa Blume; Terminalis angustifolia Medik.;