Are Cordylines and Dracaenas the same?

No Cordylines are not the same as Dracaenas.  The foliage of species Cordyline australis and it's cultivars can to the untrained eye look like the foliage of some Dracaena species, hence the confusion.  One quick way to tell if you have a Cordyline or a Dracaena is to look at the roots.... Cordylines have white roots and Dracaenas have orange roots.