DESCRIPTION:
NAME: Dragon Tree
OTHER COMMON NAMES: Canary Islands Dragon Tree / Drago / Dragon Blood Tree
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Dracaena Draco syn. Asparagus Draco / Yucca Draco
COLOR: Greenish White - Cream Flowers / Coral - Orange Berries
PLANT SEEDS: Outdoors after frost / Indoors weeks before last frost
BLOOM TIME: Late Winter - Early Spring / Early Summer
HARDINESS ZONE: 9 - 11
PLANT HEIGHT: 15 - 25'
PLANT SPACING: 15 - 15'
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Sun - Part Shade / Houseplant
SOIL & WATER PREFERENCES: Average - Dry
QUANTITY: 10 Seeds
OTHER: The awe-inspiring Dragon Tree is native to the Canary Islands & a few surrounding locations. It is a very popular landscape ornamental in tropical regions, & as a patio & houseplant in cooler climates. This Dracaena is a Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit winner.
The Dragon Tree is fairly slow growing, having a single trunk for the first 10 - 15 years of its life before branching out. Once they begin branching out, the branches will continue to split every 10 – 15 years. These long lived trees can survive for hundreds of years, repeating this process over & over to form an intricately patterned umbrella shape. While their average height is 15 – 25’, these trees can grow to be well over 25’ in time, & often develop aerial roots with age.
The foliage of this evergreen succulent is blue-green in color, & the sword-shaped leaves reach 2’ long. The Dragon Tree’s bark starts out smooth, becoming red-striped & scaly over time. If the leaves or bark are cut, they ooze a red resin called “Dragon’s Blood”, which has several traditional medicinal uses. The seeds may be poisonous - do not eat them. This red sap has also been used as a varnish & colorant since ancient times.
Depending on the climate it is grown it, the Dragon Tree’s fragrant blooms will appear between late winter & early summer. As the seasons progress, the flowers will turn to lovely coral colored berries. Being an island native, Dragon Trees are well suited to growing in the salty & windy conditions of coastal regions. They are also quite drought tolerant.
The Dragon Tree is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature List of Threatened Species Red List as Vulnerable, & it is a protected species in some places.
* We also have White & Purple Dragon Fruit seeds in our store! *
