Dragon tree
Dracaena marginata
Also called Madagascar dragon tree and Dracaena
Houseplant · Trees & big statementsBrown tips are usually fluoride and salts from tap water — dry air can do it too. Flush the pot through twice a year.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Once a fortnightDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Medium to bright indirect
- Feed
- Every 60 days
- Humidity
- Low
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out in high summer RHS H1B, to 10°C
- Size
- 2 m tall · 0.8 m across
- Lifecycle
- Tree
- Origin
- Madagascar
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsToxic to pets
Affects dogs, cats, horses. Signs: vomiting, sometimes with blood, lethargy, loss of appetite, drooling, and dilated pupils in cats.
PeopleNot checked yet
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- The tip of an older leaf dries to tan with a narrow yellow band just behind it — a tap-water problem, not a watering one.Fluoride and salt tip burn · disorder
- The cane sounds hollow when tapped low down and the bark there wrinkles, while the crown still holds its leaves.Cane rot · disease