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Dracaena reflexa

Dracaena reflexa, Asparagaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called song of India.

Dracaena reflexa (Dracaena reflexa), the whole plant.
Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Dracaena reflexa is toxic

  • Toxic to cats. Toxic principle: Saponins. Clinical signs: Vomiting (occasionally with blood), depression, anorexia, hypersalivation, dilated pupils (cats). ASPCA
  • Toxic to dogs. Toxic principle: Saponins. Clinical signs: Vomiting (occasionally with blood), depression, anorexia, hypersalivation, dilated pupils (cats). ASPCA
  • Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Sources file this plant under other names: Dracaena reflexa var. reflexa. Citations below point at the name its source uses.

Light
Full sun, Partial shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H1B — 10–15°C 10–15 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Toxic
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Toxic
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Water with filtered water at room temperature. The fluoride and chlorine in tap water do not suit it.
NC State Extension, filed as Dracaena reflexa var. reflexa · read 13 September 2026
In the growing season water moderately, ideally with rainwater, since plants dislike tap water. Feed monthly with a balanced liquid feed during the growing season; give little water in winter.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
Feed monthly in spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer.
NC State Extension, filed as Dracaena reflexa var. reflexa · read 13 September 2026
Feed monthly with a balanced liquid feed while in growth; in winter water sparingly.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Repotting
In spring, top dress or move to a larger pot.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Propagate from stem cuttings.
NC State Extension, filed as Dracaena reflexa var. reflexa · read 13 September 2026
In spring sow seed at 18-20°C, or take semi-ripe cuttings from late spring into early summer; rooting may need bottom heat.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Pruning is not needed, but in spring weak stems can be cut back to 15cm and the removed piece used as a cutting for a new plant.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Mealybugs, thrips, glasshouse red spider mite and scale insects can attack it. Disease is uncommon.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

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Close view of Dracaena reflexa (Dracaena reflexa) foliage.
Close upSANA Haoma 211, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Dracaena reflexa is a tree native to Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, and other nearby islands of the Indian Ocean. It is widely grown as an ornamental plant and houseplant, valued for its richly coloured, evergreen leaves, and thick, irregular stems.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
NE. Mozambique, W. Indian Ocean
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Northeast Mozambique to the West Indian Ocean
NC State Extension, filed as Dracaena reflexa var. reflexa · read 13 September 2026
Climate
wet tropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
shrub or tree
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Herbaceous Perennial, Perennial, Shrub, Tree; habit erect
NC State Extension, filed as Dracaena reflexa var. reflexa · read 13 September 2026
Columnar upright (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 36–216 in; width 12–96 in
NC State Extension, filed as Dracaena reflexa var. reflexa · read 13 September 2026
Height 1.5-2.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 5–10 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers white; blooms in summer
NC State Extension, filed as Dracaena reflexa var. reflexa · read 13 September 2026
Flowers white in summer
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Other Dracaena

More of the Asparagaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.