Dracaena arborea

Dracaena arborea, the tree dracaena, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae, native to western and west-central wet tropical Africa. It is used as a street tree in a number of African and Brazilian cities.

Description

A medium-sized tree often reaching in height, sometimes up to, with width up to in diameter. The stem tend to be yellowish brown when young but greyish when mature. Leaves commonly exceed in length, sometimes reaching up to, and width often exceeds reaching up to in width; leaves are narrowly oblanceolate in outline. Inflorescence arranged in pendulous panicles, flowers bunched in groups of 3 to 5 and at the end of branches.

Uses

Draceena arborea is often planted around burial sites to demarcate boundaries in parts of Cameroon and Burundi and is also planted for ornamental uses. In parts of Cameroon, a decoction composed of root extracts mixed with palm wine is sold to people who are told that it will improve male sexual function.