Dracaena aubryana aka Garden Corn Plant

Dracaena aubryana is a shrub that stays green all year. It belongs to the asparagus family, Asparagaceae. The RHS gives lance dracaena as a common name. Its native range runs from western tropical Africa to Uganda and Zambia. Records list Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire. They also list Nigeria and Angola. It is not native to Britain or Ireland. Kew places it in a tropical climate with dry seasons.

The plant grows in a clump of upright, woody stems. These stems rarely branch and may twist into spirals. Sources give a height range of about 1–8.2 feet [0.3–2.5 metres]. Useful Tropical Plants also gives a height of 4.9 feet [1.5 metres]. The sources do not give a usual size in gardens. They give no width for a full-grown plant. It keeps its leaves all year. The sources give no details of their traits. They also lack flower and fruit details for this species.

In the wild, this shrub grows in mist forests and beside rivers. It grows in deep shade where forests have had little disturbance. In some of these places, it can be common. Records reach heights above sea level of about 4,724 feet [1,440 metres]. These records show where it lives in the wild. They do not show the results of garden care tests. The sources give no firm advice on soil, watering, or feeding. They give no frost limits or hardiness zones. Its broad climate range does not prove it withstands drought in pots.

People grow this species for its looks. They keep it in pots in cooler climates. Sources describe its year-round leaves and clumps of stems. They give no more details on garden sites or landscape use. Useful Tropical Plants lists seed and cuttings as ways to grow new plants. It gives no steps or times for either method for this species. It gives no growth rate. It names no pest or disease problems.

People gather wild plants for local use as medicine and to make drinks. They use the root to make an alcoholic drink. The source describes this drink as having stimulant effects. This use does not show that raw roots are safe to eat. People use the plant in folk medicine for venereal diseases. The source does not name the plant part they use. The evidence gives no clinical proof that this treatment works. Useful Tropical Plants reports no known hazards. This does not prove the plant is safe for people or pets.