Dracaena draco (L.) L.

Dragon tree, drago, Canary Islands dragon tree, dragontree

The dragon tree is native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, Azores, and part of Morocco. It is not found wild in North America. When branches or the trunk are cut, they ooze a red resin—“dragon’s blood.” The resin is used to color the varnish used for Stradivarius violins and in a photoengraving process.

Plants: Dragon trees cannot be confused with any other type of tree. Its foliage forms a dense, umbrella-shaped canopy of thick, moisture-retentive, stiff sword-shaped leaves. This canopy is shaped to funnel rainwater inward toward the trunk, where it is channeled to the roots; and it is thick enough to shade the roots to reduce evaporation. They reach heights of 49′ (15 m). It grows very slowly, and some specimens are believed to be 650 years old.

Leaves: Lanceolate, stiff, exuding red resin when cut.

Flowers: At the age of 10-15 years, the stem stops growing, and produces a flower spike with lily-like white perfumed flowers. This is followed by branching, and sub-branching, and sub-sub-branching, producing a crown that resembles an umbrella.

Fruits: Produces masses of fleshy red-orange berries.

Habitats: Dry forests and rocky soils at low elevations.

Edibility: Poisonous to pets.

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Dracaena draco description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.

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