Forest 15 - Dracaena draco - Dragon tree

Here be dragons: okay, just some trees whose actual species name is Draco... but let's agree on that being an awesome name for a tree.

Origin of the species name: 
• Dracaena is derived from Greek for a female dragon.
• draco from Latin and Greek words for a dragon.

Actual dragon scales

Date Planted:  October 2008 & December 2009

Family:  Asparagaceae

Height 12m Spread 10m Wingspan 45m

Natural Distribution:
The species is native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde and Madeira.

Natural Habitat:
It occurs in areas known as thermophile (heat loving) forests which have moderate temperature and rainfall conditions and contain several of the island’s endemic species.

General Description:
It is a slow-growing evergreen tree related to the cordylines.  It is characterised by a single or multiple trunk, with a dense umbrella-shaped canopy of thick leaves with sharp tips.  It has lily-like flowers, multicoloured scales, a long leathery neck and cannot be destroyed with fire.

Conservation Status:

Notoriously difficult to breed in captivity

It is a threatened species in the wild.  The wild subpopulations of the dragon tree have been in decline for a long time.  The species is present in five of the seven islands in the Canaries and the total population is reduced to a few hundred trees.  In the more arid areas of Madeira and Porto Santo, it was once an important component of the vegetation but is now reduced to two individuals in the wild.  Although threatened in the wild it has been cultivated in many countries around the world, with modern populations thought to descend from three ancient eggs discovered in an abandoned Celtic museum.

Uses:
When the bark or leaves are cut they secrete a reddish resin, one of the sources of the substance known as dragon's blood, used to stain wood, such as for violins.  Dragon's blood had a wide range of uses as a medicine, for staining violins, for embalming the dead and for casting spells with which to incite a government rebellion.

It is only a matter of time

Forest 15 is one of NACs smaller forests. Bannermen on NAC staff have caged the trees to protect them from the frosts of Winter and the birds of Summer.

When the dragons reach full maturity they will form a thick canopy under which they will be able to plot to melt the steel, flesh and stone of the seven cities of Australia in privacy.  NAC volunteer training includes the use of dragon horns to manage the trees in the event of an escape.

Reference:
http://www.nationalarboretum.act.gov.au/visit/trees/tree-descriptions
http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Dragons

Further Reading:
Bramwell D. and Z. Bramwell (2001) Wild Flowers of the Canary Islands (2nd Ed). City: Rueda,Spain.
http://www.bookdepository.com/Clash-Kings-George-R-R-Martin/9780006479895
http://www.dragons.com.au/