Dragon tree

The dragon tree of the Canary Islands – its red resin, “dragon’s blood”, was once a prized medicine and dye.

An extraordinary tree with a thick trunk and an umbrella-like branching crown, ending in tufts of stiff, sword-shaped leaves. It grows very slowly and branches only after flowering, so the age of specimens is easily overestimated. When the bark is cut it exudes a dark red resin called dragon’s blood, formerly used in medicine and for dyeing and varnishing. It is rare and endangered in the wild but is often planted in parks and gardens.

Significance in the country

The dragon tree is an icon of the Canary Islands; the thousand-year-old “Drago Milenario” in Icod de los Vinos on Tenerife is one of Spain’s most famous plants and a tourist attraction.

Where it grows

Scarce in the wild on the cliffs of the Canary Islands; the most famous specimen grows in Icod de los Vinos on Tenerife, and many trees are planted in towns on all the islands.

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