Dracaena draco, the Canary Islands dragon tree or drago,[4] is a subtropical tree in the genusDracaena, native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, western Morocco, and possibly introduced into the Azores.[5]
Dracaena draco subsp. ajgal in the village Agadir Ougjgal near Tiznit, Morocco
Dracaena draco is an evergreen long lived tree capable of exceeding 15m (49ft) in height and having a trunk of 5m (16ft) or more in circumference, starting with a smooth bark that evolves to a more rough texture as it ages.[8] The "dragon tree" is a Monocot, with a branching growth pattern currently placed in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoidae).[9] When young it has a single stem. At about 10–15years of age the stem stops growing and produces a flower spike with white, lily-like perfumed flowers, followed by coral berries. Soon a crown of terminal buds appears and the plant starts branching. Each branch grows for about 10–15years and re-branches, so that a mature plant has an umbrella-like habit. It grows slowly, requiring about 10years to reach 1.2 metres (4ft) in height, but at times, grows much faster.[clarification needed][10]
Despite being a monocotyledon, it has annual growth rings. There is considerable genetic variation within the Canary Island dragon trees. The form found on Gran Canaria is now treated as a separate species, Dracaena tamaranae, based on differences in flower structure. The form endemic to La Palma, initially branches very low with numerous, nearly vertical branches arranged fastigiately. There is a forest of such trees at Las Tricias, Garafia district, La Palma.[11][12]
Subspecies:
D. draco subsp. draco: Endemic to Madeira and Canary Islands[13]
D. draco subsp. ajgalBenabid & Cuzin: Endemic to Morocco[14]
D. draco subsp. caboverdeanaMarrero Rodr. & R.S.Almeida: Endemic to the Cape Verde islands[15]
Dracaena draco is native to Macaronesia and southwest Morocco, where it is commonly cultivated as an ornamental plant. On the Canary and Madeira archipelagos, wild endemic populations today are known only in Tenerife and Madeira after recently going extinct in the wild in Gran Canaria. Wild populations in Morocco extend to the southwest Atlas Mountains. Its origin on the Azores is uncertain but it is thought to result from an introduction made by the Portuguese prior to 1500 with seeds from Madeira and Cape Verde, as some individuals were observed to have similarities with the Cape Verdean subspecies (subsp. caboverdeana); there are around 200-300 individuals on remote sites in the island of São Jorge and a few more on other islands and it is unknown if these populations can be considered native or the result of an early introduction.[5][16]
Uses
Fruits
When the bark or leaves are cut they secrete a reddish resin, one of several sources of substances known as dragon's blood. Red resins from this tree contain many mono- and dimeric flavans that contribute to the red color of the resins.[17] Dragon's blood has a number of traditional medical uses, although dragon's blood obtained from Dracaena draco was not known until the 15th century,[18] and analyses suggest that most dragon's blood used in art was obtained from species of the genus Calamus formerly placed in Daemonorops.[19] The primary and secondary plant body are the site of the secretory plant tissues that form dragon's blood. These tissues include ground parenchyma cells and cortex cells.[20] Dragon's blood from Dracaena draco and Dracaena cinnabari can be distinguished by differences in 10 compounds and a dominant flavonoid DrC11 missing in Dracaena draco.[19]
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 (21m) tall and 45 feet (14m) in circumference, and was estimated to be 6,000 years old. It was destroyed by a storm in 1868.[21]
The Museum of Wine on Pico Island, Azores, has one of the largest concentrations of this species in Macaronesia, some being more than 100 years old.[26]
↑ Linnaeus, C. (1767). "Dracaena". Systema Naturae: Per Regna Tria Natura, Secundum Classes, Ordines, Genera, Species, Cum Characteribus, Differentiis, Synonymis, Locis (Ed. 12). 2: 246.
1 2 Baumer, Ursula; Dietemann, Patrick (2010-06-01). "Identification and differentiation of dragon's blood in works of art using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry". Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 397 (3): 1363–1376. doi:10.1007/s00216-010-3620-0. ISSN1618-2642. PMID20349349. S2CID13267387.
↑ Jura-Morawiec, Joanna; Tulik, Mirela (2015-05-01). "Morpho-anatomical basis of dragon's blood secretion in Dracaena draco stem". Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants. 213: 1–5. Bibcode:2015FMDFE.213....1J. doi:10.1016/j.flora.2015.03.003.
Benabid, A. & Cuzin, F. (1997). Dragon tree (Dracaena draco subsp. ajgal Benabid et Cuzin) populations in Morocco: Taxonomical, biogeographical and phytosociological values. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences Série III Sciences de la Vie 320(3): 267–277.
Cape Verde is a group of arid Atlantic islands which are home to distinct communities of plants, birds, and reptiles. The islands constitute the unique Cape Verde Islands dry forests ecoregion, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
The Canary Islands, also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish region, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are 100 kilometres west of Morocco. They are the southernmost of the autonomous communities of Spain. The islands have a population of 2.2 million people and are the most populous special territory of the European Union.
The Atlantic canary, known worldwide simply as the wild canary and also called the island canary, common canary, or canary, is a small passerine bird belonging to the genus Serinus in the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is native to the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira. It has two subspecies: the wild or common canary and domestic canary. Wild birds are mostly yellow-green, with brownish streaking on the back. The species is common in captivity and a number of colour varieties have been bred.
Macaronesia is a collection of four volcanic archipelagos in the North Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of North Africa and Europe. Each archipelago is made up of a number of Atlantic oceanic islands, which are formed by seamounts on the ocean floor whose peaks have risen above the ocean's surface.
Dracaena is a genus of about 120 species of trees and succulent shrubs. The formerly accepted genera Pleomele and Sansevieria are now included in Dracaena. In the APG IV classification system, it is placed in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Nolinoideae. It has also formerly been separated into the family Dracaenaceae or placed in the Agavaceae.
Dragon's blood is a bright red resin which is obtained from different species of a number of distinct plant genera: Calamus spp. also including Calamus rotang, Croton, Dracaena and Pterocarpus. The red resin has been in continuous use since ancient times as varnish, medicine, incense, pigment, and dye.
Manadas, once locally known as Santa Bárbara, is a civil parish in the municipality of Velas in the Azores. The population in 2011 was 374, in an area of 11.20 km2.
Micromeria is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, widespread across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America, with a center of diversity in the Mediterranean region and the Canary Islands. It is sometimes placed within the genus Satureja. The name is derived from the Greek words μῑκρος (mīkros), meaning "small," and μερίς (meris), meaning "portion," referring to the leaves and flowers. Common names include savory and whitweed.
Sideroxylon mirmulano, commonly known as marmulano, is a species of flowering plants in the family Sapotaceae. It is endemic to the Madeira Islands (Portugal). It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Gibraltar Botanic Gardens or La Alameda Gardens are a botanical garden in Gibraltar, spanning around 6 hectares. The Rock Hotel lies above the park.
Dracaena cinnabari, the Socotra dragon tree or dragon blood tree, is a dragon tree native to the Socotra archipelago, part of Yemen, located in the Arabian Sea. It is named after the blood-like color of the red sap that the trees produce. It is considered the national tree of Yemen.
Forte de São Sebastião is a fort in the Azores.
Dragon's blood is a bright red resin obtained from a number of distinct plants.
Dragon's blood tree is a common name for several plants and may refer to:
The Madeira evergreen forests is a laurissilva ecoregion of southwestern Europe. It covers the archipelago of Madeira and some nearby islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Laurel forest, known as Laurisilva of Madeira, once covered the islands. Over centuries the laurel forests were mostly cleared. Madeira's remaining forests are now protected.
Ilex perado, the Macaronesian holly, is a species of holly endemic to Macaronesia, distributed throughout the Azores, Madeira and Canary islands. It is an important component of the natural high-altitude Macaronesian rainforest, known as 'laurisilva', found mostly at 500 to 1,200 m altitude but it also appears in forest formations at lower elevation. Many of the subspecies have been classified as threatened, probably because of very small population sizes, and are protected by local, national and regional legislation.
The Dragos Gemelos are two entwined Dracaena draco trees in Breña Alta, La Palma, Canary Islands. They are said to represent twin brothers who both fell in love with the same woman, and fought to the death, with the woman planting the twin trees to remember them.
Dracaena tamaranae, or drago de Gran Canaria, is a species of flowering plant endemic to the island of Gran Canaria, related to the dragon tree, Dracaena draco, and other species of Dracaena from East Africa. Since 1972, specimens of dragon tree have been identified in Gran Canaria with certain peculiarities. These were initially identified as specimens of Dracaena draco. However, a more detailed study concluded that it corresponded to a new species.
Mount Adad Madani is a mountain of the Western Anti-Atlas with a height of 1,470 meters (4,820 ft) above sea level. It is located 75 kilometers (47 mi) northeast of the city of Tiznit in the Aouguenz commune in the Chtouka Aït Baha region of the Souss-Massa region in southern Morocco. The mountain is located in the center of the Argan Tree Biosphere Reserve.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
