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. Identification: 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 39' (12 m). It grows very slowly, and some specimens are believed to be 650 years old. Online References:
Dracaena draco on Wikipedia Dracaena draco on floridata.com Dracaena draco on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Red List of Threatened Species Dracaena draco at the University of Connecticut Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Plant Growth Facilities 2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California 2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California Dracaena draco description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020. © FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved. |
2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California 2/26/2010 · San Diego Zoo, San Diego, California 2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California Range: Zones 9-11:
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