Summary ²

Not to be confused with Dracaena cinnabari, the Dragon Blood Tree native to Socotra (an island near Yemen).

Biology ³

The dragon tree is extremely slow-growing, taking 8 - 11 years to reach just 2 – 3 feet, when it begins to flower. Flowering occurs almost simultaneously on the Canary Islands, taking place only every 15 years (6). The flowering causes the stem to branch, resulting in a highly branched tree which can be aged according to the number of branches. The oldest individual is thought to be more than 650 years old (5). The sap of this species is used as colouring matter for varnishes, tooth-pastes, tinctures and plasters (4).

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Benoît Deniaud, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/14309045@N04/4585177674
2. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracaena_draco
3. (c) Wildscreen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/6689138

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• African Plants - a photo guide
• Atlas of Living Australia
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• eFloras.org
• Flora Digital de Portugal
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
• IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• New Zealand Plant Conservation Network
• SEINet Symbiota portals
• Tropicos
• World Flora Online

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