Meaning & History
From the name of a genus of about forty species of trees and succulent shrubs, which is the Latinized form of Greek δράκαινα (drakaina) meaning "she-dragon", the feminine form of δράκων (drakon) - compare Drakon. In Greek mythology a drakaina is a female dragon, sometimes with human-like features; the mythological characters of Ceto, Lamia, Echidna, and Scylla were all considered drakaina.