English name: dragon's blood tree, Canary Island dragon tree
Scientific name:Dracaena draco
Country of origin: Canary Islands, Cape Verde islands, Madeira islands, southwestern Morocco
Description
It is a monocotyledonous plant with height of 8–12 m and trunk diameter of 30–40 cm. The age reaches 6,000–7,000 years. Sword-like leaves (2-3.5 cm in width, 40–90 cm in length) are attached to the tip of the trunk or branches in a rosette shape. It is xerotolerant and grows naturally in regions with annual precipitation of 200–1,300 mm.
Wild species are almost extinct, and it was listed as type ii Critically endangered in the 2013 Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Dark red resin collected from the trunk is used for violin varnish, etc. Saponins are contained in the resin, which has been used medically for a long period. The leaves and fruit are also expected to have efficacy against cancer.
References
Bañares, A. et al. 1998. Dracaena draco. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. (www.iucnredlist.org). Downloaded on 02 May 2014.
Marrero, A., Almeida, R.S. and Gonzalez-Martin, M. 1998. A new species
of the wild dragon tree, Dracaena (Dracaenaceae) from Gran Canaria and
its taxonomic and biogeographi implications. Botanical Journal of the Linnean
Society. 128: 291-314.
Valente, M. J., de Pinho, P. G. Henrique, R., Pereira, J.A. and Carvalho,
M. 2012. Further insights into chemical characterization through GC-MS
and evaluation for anticancer potential of Dracaena draco leaf and fruit extracts. Food and Chemical Toxicology 50: 3847-3852.
小野幹雄．1997．カナリア諸島：絶滅危惧種の救済に先駆的な島．p.283-285．朝日百科 植物の世界13巻：植物の生態地理．朝日新聞社、東京．
