Danae racemosa - Alexandrian Laurel

The Alexandrian Laurel, in Latin Danae racemosa, sometimes called Clustered Fragon, is a perennial bush related to the Butcher's Broom (Ruscus aculeatus) and visually very similar. The plant is more ornamental with a larger growth, larger false leaves, and a more flexible habit. Its sacred bamboo-like silhouette, beautiful red berries, and lush foliage bring richness to the garden even in winter. Resistant to cold and drought and comfortable in shady areas, the Alexandrian laurel is remarkable in difficult-to-vegetate zones. Its leafy branches are appreciated in floristry.

The Danae racemosa and its mature size averages 90 cm in all directions, depending on the growing conditions. Its stump has nodose rhizomes that spread little.
The Clustered Fragon has a flexible bushy habit supported by gracefully trailing stems. Its spring shoots emerging from the ground resemble small asparagus. What appear as tough, shiny leaves are cladodes, flattened stems that perform the same chlorophyll function as leaves. They are lanceolate in shape, measuring up to 10 cm long, and remain green throughout winter, even in freezing temperatures. Flowering occurs in June-July in average climates. The tiny greenish-yellow flowers appear in clusters at the ends of the stems. The fruit is a small round berry, 0.5 cm in diameter, gradually turning from green to bright red as it ripens. This fruiting persists throughout winter if birds do not feast on it.

The Alexandrian Laurel thrives in shade or partial shade, in well-drained soil, and thrives in the undergrowth, away from the sun's scorching rays. Once well-rooted, the plant requires no special maintenance. It is a bush with a place in all gardens to bring life to a too-dark corner, under a sparsely dense mass of trees or shrubs to dress their base. Its Nandina-like appearance will blend well with lilies and bleeding hearts, and its shiny green foliage will enhance the delicate hues of Magellan fuchsias and columbines. In shaded gardens in the South, associate it with bear's breeches and periwinkles. In winter, it can be used to create floral arrangements in the house, such as with amaryllis.