Dracaena draco

Dracaena draco
Dracaena draco
The ancient specimen at Icod de los Vinos, Tenerife
Conservation status
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Plantae
clade: Angiosperms
clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Asparagaceae
Subfamily: Nolinoideae
Genus: Dracaena
Species: D. draco
Binomial name
Dracaena draco
(L.) L.
Synonyms
  • Asparagus draco L.

Dracaena draco, the Canary Islands Dragon Tree or Drago is a subtropical Dragon Tree native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, and locally in western Morocco, and introduced to the Azores. This tree is the natural symbol of the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain), together with the Blue Chaffinch.[1]

Dracaena draco in Vila Nova Sintra, Island of Brava, Cape Verde.

Contents

Description

Dracaena draco is a monocot with a tree-like growth habit currently placed in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoidae).[2] It is not a real tree. When young it has a single stem. At about 10–15 years of age the stems stops growing and produces a flower spike with white, lily-like perfumed flowers, followed by coral berries. Soon a crown of terminal buds appear and the plant starts branching. Each branch grows for about 10–15 years and re-branches, so a mature plant has an umbrella-like habit. It grows slowly, requiring about ten years to reach 1.2 metres (4 ft) in height but can grow much faster.[3]

Being a monocotyledon, it does not display any annual or growth rings so the age of the tree can only be estimated by the number of branching points before reaching the canopy. The specimen called "El Drago Milenario" (the thousand-year-old dragon) growing at Icod de los Vinos in northwest Tenerife is the largest and the oldest living plant of this species. Its age was estimated in 1975 to be around 250 years, with a maximum of 365 years, not several thousand had previously been claimed.[4]

Uses

When the bark or leaves are cut they secrete a reddish resin, one of the sources of the substance known as Dragon's blood, used to stain wood, such as of Stradivarius violins. The Guanches worshiped a specimen in Tenerife, and hollowed its trunk into a small sanctuary. Humboldt saw it at the time of his visit. It was 70 feet (21 m) tall and 45 feet (14 m) in circumference, and was estimated to be 6000 years old. It was destroyed by a storm in 1868.[5] It has a number of traditional medicinal uses.[6]

Cultivation

Dracaena draco is cultivated in the horticulture trade and widely available as an ornamental tree for gardens, drought tolerant water conserving sustainable landscape projects.

Dragon's blood was also called “Indian cinnabar” by Greek writers.

References

  1. ^ Ley 7/1991, de 30 de abril, de símbolos de la naturaleza para las Islas Canarias - in spanish
  2. ^ Chase, M.W.; Reveal, J.L. & Fay, M.F. (2009), "A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae", Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 161 (2): 132–136, doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00999.x 
  3. ^ Dracaena Draco Farm, http://www.dracaenadraco.com/, retrieved 2011-11-3 
  4. ^ Magdefrau, K. (1975), "Das Alter der Drachenbaume auf Tenerife", Flora 164: 347–357 
  5. ^ Wikisource-logo.svg "Dracæna draco". New International Encyclopedia. 1905. 
  6. ^ Gupta D., Bleakley B., Gupta R.K. "Dragon's blood: Botany, chemistry and therapeutic uses" Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2007 115:3 (361-380)

Bibliography

External links

Media related to Dracaena draco at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Dracaena draco at Wikispecies


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Dracaena draco —   Drago Ejemplar de drago en La Orota …   Wikipedia Español

  • Dracaena draco — Dragonnier des Canaries Dracaena draco …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Dracaena draco — Kanarischer Drachenbaum Kanarischer Drachenbaum (Dracaena draco) Systematik Klasse: Einkeimblättrige (Liliopsida) …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Dracaena draco — tikroji dracena statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Draceninių šeimos dekoratyvinis augalas (Dracaena draco), paplitęs Afrikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Dracaena draco angl. dragon dracaena; dragon tree; dragontree vok. Drachenblutbaum; gemeiner… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • Dracaena Draco — dragon drag on (dr[a^]g [u^]n), n. [F. dragon, L. draco, fr. Gr. dra kwn, prob. fr. de rkesqai, dra kein, to look (akin to Skr. dar[,c] to see), and so called from its terrible eyes. Cf. {Drake} a dragon, {Dragoon}.] 1. (Myth.) A fabulous animal …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Dracaena Draco — dragon drag on (dr[a^]g [u^]n), n. [F. dragon, L. draco, fr. Gr. dra kwn, prob. fr. de rkesqai, dra kein, to look (akin to Skr. dar[,c] to see), and so called from its terrible eyes. Cf. {Drake} a dragon, {Dragoon}.] 1. (Myth.) A fabulous animal …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Dracaena draco — ID 28436 Symbol Key DRDR3 Common Name dragontree Family Agavaceae Category Monocot Division Magnoliophyta US Nativity Cultivated, or not in the U.S. US/NA Plant Yes State Distribution N/A Growth Habit N/A …   USDA Plant Characteristics

  • Dracaena draco — noun tall tree of the Canary Islands; source of dragon s blood • Syn: ↑dragon tree • Hypernyms: ↑dracaena …   Useful english dictionary

  • Dracaena draco — …   Википедия

  • Dracaena draco (L.) L. — Symbol DRDR3 Common Name dragontree Botanical Family Agavaceae …   Scientific plant list

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