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Dracaena ghiesbreghtii

Central American dragon tree

The Central American dragon tree or candlewood (also treated as Dracaena americana), a multi-stemmed tree usually 12 m tall and up to 18 m, with soft, strap-like leaves along the stems. It grows in humid tropical forest on limestone soils from Mexico to Colombia; young plants are understory shrubs that like warmth, bright shade and a short dry season.

At home, aim for

Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Ordinary room humidityBand in Plantistry

Light Dappled lightDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

Expects a seasonal restGrows in the ground

Where it grows wild

Humid tropical rainforest with over 1,500 mm of rain, typically as scattered individuals on rendzina (shallow limestone) soils. In drier places it becomes a sprawling understory shrub.

Sea level to about 1,900 m in the Colombian Andes; GBIF records span 1 to 1,540 m, median 200 m.

MexicoBelizeGuatemalaHondurasCosta RicaPanamaColombia

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.