Song of India
Also called Pleomele, Malaysian dracaena.
| Light | bright indirect light |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 10 days in the growing season, every 21 in winter |
| Pets | Cats toxic, dogs toxic |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, Malaysian Dracaena entry.
Toxic to cats and dogs if chewed. Toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The principle is saponins, causing vomiting sometimes with blood, depression, loss of appetite, drooling and dilated pupils in cats. Keep it where an animal that eats houseplants cannot reach it, and speak to a vet if one does. In South Africa telephone the Poison Information Helpline on 0861 555 777; in the US, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435.
A dracaena that behaves quite differently from the rest: instead of a bare cane with a topknot, it holds short glossy leaves right along leaning stems, which build into an irregular open shrub over years. The cream edged form sold as Song of India is the one most people mean. It is slow, it is tolerant, and it wants what all dracaenas want, which is bright indirect light, compost that dries down between waterings, and water without fluoride in it. Left in hard tap water it browns at the tips reliably. Prune a leggy stem back in spring and it branches from the cut, and the piece you removed will root in water within a month.
Ailments observed
| Brown tips on otherwise healthy leaves | Fluoride and salts in tap water, which every dracaena objects to. Water with rainwater or filtered water and flush the pot through occasionally. Trim the tips at an angle. |
|---|---|
| Yellow leaves at the bottom of the plant | Compost kept wet, or simply the oldest leaves going as the cane lengthens. Let it dry down between waterings. A leaf or two a month from the bottom of an old cane is normal. |
Filed underPlants that forgive a beginner, Statement plants
Neighbouring entries
African violet
Streptocarpus ionanthusAfrican violet care that keeps it flowering all year, with why you water from below, what makes the pale rings on the leaves, and how to root a single leaf.
Alocasia
Alocasia x amazonicaAlocasia care with the humidity and warmth it insists on, why it drops leaves in winter, and what the tuber is doing when the plant looks dead.
Asparagus fern
Asparagus densiflorusNot a fern at all but an asparagus, in soft green plumes that turn out to have thorns. Easy, fast, and toxic to cats and dogs.