Dragon Blood Tree
Dragon Blood Tree
Dracaena cinnabari
Plantae
VULNERABLE

Stats

Lifespan
Up to ~600 yrs
Size
Large
Diet
Photosynthetic
Biome
Subtropical desert
Range
Socotra archipelago
Movement
Sessile
Breeding
Seeds
Defense
Toxins
Status
Vulnerable

About

A striking tree endemic to the Socotra archipelago, instantly recognisable by its wide flat umbrella canopy held on a dense fork of upswept branches. Its crimson sap — "dragon's blood" — has been traded as a dye, varnish, and medicine for over two thousand years.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    seed
    A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
  2. 2.
    sprout
    A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
  3. 3.
    sapling
    A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
  4. 4.
    mature
    Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Order
Asparagales
Family
Asparagaceae
Genus
Dracaena
Species
Dracaena cinnabari