Lucky bamboo
Dracaena sanderiana
Also called Ribbon plant and Friendship bamboo
Houseplant · Ferns & palmsNot bamboo. Grown in water, change it fortnightly and never use softened tap water.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Once a weekDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Medium indirect
- Feed
- Every 60 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out in high summer RHS H1B, to 10°C
- Size
- 0.9 m tall · 0.15 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Central Africa
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsToxic to pets
Affects dogs, cats. 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
- Leaf tips yellow then brown on plants stood in tap water — change to rainwater or stood water before the whole leaf goes.Fluoride and chlorine burn · disorder
- The cane goes yellow and soft at the waterline, not at the top, and the water clouds.Stem rot · disease