Hi, My friend just brought me this one left from his neighbor's moving away... It looks in pretty bad shape inside the unknown media and a bit like a tropical plant, I guess. Can anyone here id the plant for me? So I can do some research on it... right now I only water it a bit and don't want to do anything else before knowing the plant more. Of course if more info and advice given other than id extra thanks and welcomes are due.

It looks like it could be a kind of Cordyline. Without leaves it's hard to tell....

I'd lean towards dracaena of some sort, but cordyline is a close relative, so either is a possibility. And yes, both are tropicals grown for their colorful foliage.

I will agree with Carter and go with a dracaena of some sort. I grow lots of Cordyline and I have never seen the cane so green for the height of the plant. Cordyline cane tend to turn brown.

Thanks, Hetty, Carter, & Scott. Ok, now I know it's a dracaena something and most people say it's an easy care indoor plant. Yet right now it's outside and receiving some strong direct sunlight... will it get hurt? How much indirect or shaded light it needs inside? I am very tight inside in finding a good spot for this plant (many other plants have taken all good space in the house). Any advice? Thanks

My first thought was Dracaena too, either Dragon Tree (Dracaena reflexa var. angustifolia) or Dragon Tree (Dracaena reflexa var. angustifolia 'Tricolor')

Dracenas can take a good bit of water, I would make sure that soil is draining well and water it more often. Check the condition of the soil, it is possible you might need to re-pot it in fresh potting mix.

It may not survive w/o being repotted. I would do that as soon as possible so I could then be confident about being able to water it correctly.

Looking at this again. In the top pic, there's part of a browned leaf at the top. Is it attached to these stems?

Now that I look at those photos again, I'm not so sure it's Dracaena; I think those stems are too green for D. marginata. It sure looks familiar though but I just can't place what plant it is I'm thinking it looks like.

Kinda sorta reminds me of Yucca too:


or Bambusa (Bamboo)

Thanks, so many replies in such short time.
Tiffany: yes, there are some cut-off leaves still attached to one stem (friend saw the leaves dried dying and cut them off).

Alice & Tiffany: I checked the soil: dry and strange kind of media. Just watered some more (now inside). The plastic pot of bottom reservoir type is huge (12") for two (the third small one has died or withered, I think) long sticks of dragon tree! I want to soon repot them in a smaller pot with just regular MG potting soil. Please correct me if wrong.

Lin: I still think it's some kind of Dracaena as I looked all the dragon tree pics in data base (many of them are yours and some of them looked having stems as green as these do. May be these are still young? The Yacca looks like growing in single stem with no branch-out as these do. And these (ones I received) don't seem to have as HARD cane as bamboo does? Bamboo also don't branch-out, right?

Bamboo doesn't branch but Yucca does:





I'm in agreement though ... it does appear more like Dracaena canes. Keep us posted when new leaves form. I look forward to seeing photos as your plant grows into the beauty it's meant to be!

Thanks, Lin. I'll definitely post some photos if they survive and grow, finger crossed. The way these plants branch-out is interestingly different from Yucca does: Dracaena in U shape and Yucca in Y shape as in pic.

This is the leaf I was asking about:


"Lucky" bamboo is a Dracaena, and its' trunk does stay green:
Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana)

Good eye purpleinopp/Tiffany, it sure does looks identical to D. braunii stems! This is a little plant my Niece gave me:

Oh, so this D. braunii is indeed a Lucky bamboo, but not a real bamboo! Guess it needs a lot water to drink? Thanks, Tiffany & Lin.

Thanks goes to Tiffany ... she nailed the identity!