Dracaena draco (Dragon Tree)

Slow-growing, award-winning Dracaena draco (Dragon Tree) is an evergreen tree with attractive hefty limbs and stiff but flexible leaves. Sparsely branched, the thick, swollen, cylindrical trunk, branches into stout, upright arms with terminal rosettes of sword-shaped, blue-green leaves to 2 ft. in length (60 cm). Initially smooth and gray, the bark becomes scaly with horizontal, red stripes, a reminder that this tree bleeds crimson sap when the bark is cut or bruised. Likened to the blood of dragons, (Dracaena means dragon in ancient Greek), this sap is used as a varnish for violins and other fine wood. In early summer appear panicles of greenish-white flowers on mature plants. They are followed by orange berries. This very ornamental tree does not begin to branch until it has flowered for the first time, usually after a couple of decades of growth.

Dragon Tree is very long-lived, with some specimens in the Canary Islands said to be more than a thousand years old. With its beautiful umbrella shape and palmlike appearance, Dragon Tree makes a dramatic focal point in the landscape. It is a good choice for coastal areas since it tolerates winds, salt spray, and salty soils.

• Winner of the prestigious Award of Garden Merit of the Royal Horticultural Society
• Grows typically with an upright habit up to 15-25 ft. tall and wide (4.5-7.5 m). This succulent tree is commonly used as a houseplant. When planted in the ground in near frost-free climates, it will grow, however, to a massive and broad tree, up to 50 ft. (15 m).
• Easily grown in well-drained soils in full sun or part shade. Water infrequently and deeply, but not allow the roots to remain wet as this could be fatal. Drought tolerant.
• Great for beds and borders, city gardens, gravel gardens, succulent gardens, or Mediterranean gardens.
• Propagate by seed in spring. Leafless sections of the stem will take root in summer.
• Native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, and western Morocco.
• Toxic to dogs, toxic to cats, toxic to horses.