What is the difference between Yucca and Dracaena fragrans? A quick guide to tell them apart
Plant form difference: Yucca can grow to 4 m tall, while Dracaena fragrans can grow to over 6 m. Leaf difference: Yucca leaves are leathery and feel rather hard to the touch, while Dracaena fragrans leaves are relatively wide and feel soft to the touch.
I. Plant form difference
Yucca is a small evergreen tree that can grow to 4 m tall. Dracaena fragrans is an evergreen tree that can grow to over 6 m.
II. Leaf difference
Yucca leaves are leathery, ovate or oblong, with a base shaped like a heart. Its leaves mostly grow from the upper part of the stem, and there is a golden stripe down the center of the leaf, with both sides of the stripe green.
Dracaena fragrans leaves, however, are broadly linear, about 40-90 cm long and about 6-10 cm wide. The entire leaf is bright green, glossy on the surface, and has no obvious petiole.
Put the two together, and you can tell them apart by feeling the leaves with your hand. The one with harder leaf texture is Yucca, while the one with softer leaf texture is Dracaena fragrans.