{"id":1138,"date":"2025-07-22T13:58:33","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T11:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marimurtra.cat\/the-dragon-tree-that-blooms-for-the-first-time\/"},"modified":"2025-07-22T13:58:33","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T11:58:33","slug":"the-dragon-tree-that-blooms-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marimurtra.cat\/en\/the-dragon-tree-that-blooms-for-the-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"The dragon tree that blooms for the first time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dracaena draco<\/em> is one of the most unique and fascinating<\/strong> plants in the Marimurtra Botanical Garden. This summer, one of our specimens has flowered for the first time<\/strong> after fifteen years\u2014an event that invites us to better discover this extraordinary species. Although the dragon tree (Dracaena draco<\/em>) is strongly associated with the Canary Islands, its origin is African<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Today, it grows wild in Tenerife, Cape Verde, Madeira<\/strong>, the Moroccan Anti-Atlas\u2026 and even on parts of the island of Socotra (Yemen), there are very closely related and similar species (Dracaena cinnabari<\/em>). These distant populations and species are remnants of an ancient lineage<\/strong> that millions of years ago extended across regions now turned into deserts.<\/p>\n

With the desertification of the Sahara and other climate changes<\/strong>, these plants became isolated on islands and mountains, like living fossils<\/strong> of a greener world. This species, part of the asparagus family, has a thick trunk that allows it to store water<\/strong> and grow very slowly. Over time, it can reach monumental shapes and live for centuries<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

One of its peculiarities is that it only begins to bloom once it has reached maturity, usually at fifteen years old<\/strong>. From then on, it flowers and branches every ten years. This makes it possible to estimate its age by observing its branching pattern<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Another striking feature is its red sap, known as “dragon\u2019s blood”<\/strong>. This resin, which the plant exudes when cut, has traditionally been used as a medicinal remedy, dye, or varnish, and it still retains that evocative name<\/strong> today.<\/p>\n

One of the most legendary specimens of this species was the Great Dragon Tree of Casa Franchi<\/strong>, in La Orotava (Tenerife), long considered the largest in the Canary Islands. According to historical sources, it could reach 25 meters in height<\/strong>, a canopy 23 meters in diameter, and a trunk 15 meters in circumference.<\/p>\n

This majestic specimen captivated illustrators, travelers, and scientists<\/strong> of the 18th and 19th centuries. It also withstood several violent storms: in 1819 it lost much of its crown in a hurricane, and another storm in 1867 finally felled it. Although it disappeared in the late 19th century, it is still remembered as a symbol<\/strong> of the natural and cultural heritage of the town.<\/p>\n

Some illustrations of the time show it with a door and a staircase, and it’s said that someone even lived inside its trunk. It is documented in books such as Histoire Naturelle des \u00celes Canaries (1835)<\/strong>, where a representation appears based on observations from 1790.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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This specimen is part of the historical collection of the Library<\/strong> from Carl Faust\u2019s former office, founder of the Marimurtra Botanical Garden.<\/p>\n

Today at Marimurtra, this flowering dragon tree connects us<\/strong> with a natural history as ancient as it is fascinating. If you want to see it in person, this is a rare moment<\/strong>! You\u2019ll find it in the Canary Islands area, right at the entrance to the first garden.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dracaena draco is one of the most unique and fascinating plants in the Marimurtra Botanical Garden. This summer, one of our specimens has flowered for the first time after fifteen years\u2014an event that invites us to better discover this extraordinary species. Although the dragon tree (Dracaena draco) is strongly associated with the Canary Islands, its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[42,26,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-biodiversitat","category-fundacio-carl-faust","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marimurtra.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marimurtra.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marimurtra.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marimurtra.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marimurtra.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marimurtra.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1138\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marimurtra.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marimurtra.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marimurtra.cat\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}