Dracaena Limelight

Culture

Easily grown in St. Louis in containers as an indoor foliage plant where it typically thrives in organically rich, consistently moist, well-drained soils in part shade. Use a loamy, peaty, well-drained potting soil. Corn plant is best sited in bright indirect light locations protected from significant periods of direct sun and drafts. Tolerates some low light. Containers may be placed on beds of wet pebbles with regular misting of plant leaves in order to increase humidity. Dry soils usually result in brown leaf tips. Too much sun may prevent best foliage color from developing. Keep soils uniformly moist during the growing season, but reduce watering from fall to late winter. Allow soils to dry slightly between waterings, but never allow the soils to totally dry out. Plants tolerate a wide range of indoor temperatures, but are best grown in temperatures of 60-75°F. Plant containers may be placed outdoors in summer but should always be brought back indoors in early fall before outdoor temperatures begin to dip below 50°F. This is a frost-free tropical perennial.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Dracaena fragrans, commonly known as corn plant, is a popular, durable, easy-to-grow indoor houseplant that is native to tropical Africa. Although it may soar to 20’ tall or more in its native habitat, it more often is seen in the 4-6’ tall range as a container plant in the U.S. Rosettes of evergreen, parallel-veined, sword-shaped, bright green leaves typically grow to 2’ long and 3” wide indoors in containers, but may reach 3’ long in outdoor locations. Over time, plants lose their lower leaves revealing bare stems. Fragrant, tiny, white-yellow flowers in round heads appear in terminal panicles. Flowers may be followed by red berries. Flowers and berries rarely appear on indoor plants, however.

Deremensis Group plants, commonly called striped dracaena, feature large, evergreen, undulate, linear, variegated leaves (each leaf to 2’ long) and yellow flowers which bloom periodically throughout the year. Synonymous with Dracaena deremensis.

Genus name comes from the Greek word drakaina meaning a female dragon.

Specific epithet means fragrant.

‘Limelight’ features bright, glossy yellow-green leaves which mature to a light lime green. Slow growth rate. Typically thrives in low light interior settings. Matures to 15’ tall when grown in the ground outdoors but to a smaller 6’ tall when grown indoors in a container. This cultivar was selected by Julio Gamboa Ceciliano in Costa Rica on May 1, 1988, having been discovered as a naturally occurring branch mutation of Dracaena deremensis ‘Warneckii’ now known as Dracaema fragrans (Deremensis Group) ‘Warneckii’. U.S. Plant Patent PP12,793 was issued on July 23, 2002.

Problems

Watch for spider mites, thrips and scale. Leaves may brown if soils become too moist or too dry. Leaf spot diseases can be problematic. Leaf tips turning brown can be a symptom of multiple issues, including low humidity, incorrect lighting, or high levels of water additives such as chlorine. Using filtered water or rain water may help reduce leaf tip browning.

Uses

Containers for bright indoor locations.