Small-leaved Dragon Tree

The small-leaved dragon tree (Dracaena mannii) is found from Senegal to Angola along the African west coast, is widespread in tropical Africa and is also found along the African east coast from Kenya to Kosi Bay in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

The small-leaved dragon tree is a small to medium-sized tree. However, one specimen was recorded to reach to the skies with a height of 30 meters with a stem of two meters in diameter. It seems to prefer lowland, submontane and montane forests which are either moist and evergreen, swampy or on coastal dunes. It is also found along forest edges, in clearings and on river banks from sea level to around 1,800 meters.

This species of Dracaena is evergreen, single-stemmed or much branched from near the ground, sometimes even stilt-rooted. It has linear to narrowly oblong-elliptic leaves with numerous parallel nerves.

The flowers are in terminal spikes, cream or pure white in colour, yellow-green on the outside, and sweetly fragrant when opening at night. The fruit is some 30 millimeters in diameter, berry-like in appearance, brown at first turning bright red when ripe. Ripe fruits are used as a fish poison.

The first part of its scientific name, Dracaena, is a feminine form of the Greek word Drakon and therefore means 'female dragon'. The second part, mannii, honours Gustav Mann (1836-1916), a German botanist who led expeditions in West Africa and was also a gardener at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
While poisonous, parts of the tree are used against nausea and vomiting, parasitic infections, both cutaneous and subcutaneous, swelling, oedema and gout, mouth sores, worms, lung ailments. Extracts of leaves are used against pain, and bark extracts as an arrow-poison. Pulverized roots are soaked in cold water and the infusion is used against stomach-aches, gonorrhea and chest pains. Research has indicated that extracts of the tree may have anti-malarial properties[1].

Young leaves and sprouts are cooked and eaten as a vegetable.


[1] Okunji et al: Biological activity of saponins from two Dracaena species in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology – 1996