Dracaena
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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Dracaena
a genus of woody plants or shrubs of the family Agavaceae. There are about 150 species in the tropics and subtropics of the eastern hemisphere. The stems are branched; the leaves are linear or lanceolate, and the flowers are usually in panicles, with a simple, six-lobed white or yellowish perianth, six stamens, and pistils with three nidi. The fruit is a berry. The bark of certain species, such as the dragon tree, exudes a resinous red substance that is used to make lacquers. Many species, particularly those with varie-gated leaves (D. godseffiana, D. deremensis, and others), are raised in hothouses and indoors.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.