Dragon dracaena (lat. Dracaena draco), or dragon tree, belongs to the family Asparagus. It is an endemic plant of the Canary Islands. Outwardly, it is so unusual that it leaves no one indifferent, and the unique healing resin contained in the trunks serves as an occasion for creating beautiful legends. A few more succulent shrubs are referred to the genus of the same name..
Botanical Description
Dragon tree is a relict evergreen tropical plant. According to some scientists, it is able to live up to 6000 years or more. The oldest of the discovered specimens is about 3000 years old.
Trunks of dracaena rise in height to 20–25 m. Having the ability to secondary growth in width, they periodically thicken. The diameter of the lower part of mature trees can exceed 4 m. The surface of the trunks is tuberous, as if consisting of numerous vertical folds, covered with a grayish-brown bark. When an incision is made, dracaena emit a clear, resinous juice, which after a few seconds turns bright red. This is due to the oxidation in air of the pigments it contains: dracocarmine and dracorubin. Juice is produced by trees older than several hundred years. Up to this age, dracaena is considered young.
The root system is branched, the roots spread far in breadth near the surface layer of the soil. The wood of the plant is porous, without tree rings, over time, many cavities form in many old trees.
Branching trunks occurs at a height of several meters. Numerous thick shoots rise up, crowned with a thick hat of hard xiphoid leaves of dark green or bluish color. The length of the plates is about 40–50 cm, and the width is 2-3 cm. The surface is leathery, shiny, divided by longitudinal veins. Due to the stiffness and sharp tops, the leaves resemble giant needles. On the branches they are located in dense bunches, the tips are directed upwards. Leafy shoots form wide umbrella crowns of regular round shape. But you can admire them only from a great height. From afar, an adult tree looks like a giant mushroom with a thick clumsy leg and a plate-like hairy hat.
Dracaena rarely bloom. The buds are rather large, white or purple, bisexual, collected in inflorescences of 4-6 pieces.
Legend
In the homeland of the tree, there are several legends about its origin. According to one of them, dracaena was born after the death of a mighty ancient dragon. These huge wise creatures possessed magical blood that allowed them to live for several thousand years. She saved all diseases, instantly healed wounds. People began to kill dragons, but the miraculous means obtained in this way immediately lost power. The blood of the last badly wounded dragon was absorbed by the ground. At this place trees have grown. Their trunks absorbed blood. This finally enabled people to take advantage of the gift of life that they had long been hunting for.
Drops of juice released during damage to the trunks are so frighteningly similar to blood that in the Middle Ages these trees were seriously considered semi-animal.
Spread
The dragon tree was first discovered by European travelers on the islands of Socotra and Tenerife in the early 15th century. The natives considered them sacred. Several species of dracaena live in the tropical zone, savannahs of the African continent, Southeast Asia, central South America.
Application
The ancient Indians and the indigenous people of the Canary Islands, the Guanches especially appreciated the red juice of the dragon tree, attributed to him miraculous power.In ancient times, they were used to embalm the bodies of the dead, smeared severe wounds, purulent ulcers.
In medicine
For medicinal purposes use dragon dracaena juice. In its composition are found:
- betaine
- borneol
- dipentene
- dinosterol
- lignins and other beneficial substances.
Pharmacological properties are similar to aloe juice. It has anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, antiseptic, antiviral, regenerative, analgesic effects, improves immunity, and eliminates physical fatigue.
Collect juice after cutting the bark from the trunks. After processing, the raw material hardens, takes the form of red glass. The mass is ground into powder or cut into pieces.
Official pharmacopoeias do not include dragon tree among medicinal. But it is extremely popular in homeopathy and traditional medicine. Juice extract is a part of biologically active additives, various drugs for the treatment of thrombosis, gynecological, dermatological diseases, getting rid of toothache, stomatitis, gingivitis, problems with male potency.
In crop production
Several dwarf varieties of dracaena have pronounced decorative qualities that can decorate any landscape design. They can be grown in pots as a bonsai culture, planted in greenhouses, gardens, rooms. Dracaena grows slowly, but are characterized by their unpretentiousness in soil composition, good resistance to strong winds. In open ground, they can only be grown in tropical climates. In conditions of temperate and continental dragon tree is used as a compact ornamental plant.
In industry
The presence of bright natural pigments in the juice allows you to use it as an ingredient in the manufacture of paints and varnishes. The surface of the furniture, walls and design objects painted by them take on juicy shades of red. An extract from a dragon tree is a part of cosmetics for skin and hair care. Juice is used as a food coloring, adding to alcoholic beverages and confectionery.
Leaves and fibers of wood are used as raw materials for the production of rough technical fabrics, ropes. Due to its structural features, dracaena is unsuitable for the carpentry and construction industries, but wood has good heat dissipation, which is why it is often used as fuel.
Types of Dracaena
In decorative gardening, several varieties of the genus are used. They do not grow to gigantic proportions at home, but are quite capable of reaching 1.5–3 m. The most popular:
- Dracaena bordered. Compact slender tree up to 2.5 m tall. Has a light brown straight trunk, narrow linear bright green leaves, the border is usually pink, yellow or red. The combination of shades gives a spectacular decorative look. Does not bloom.
- Dracaena is fragrant. This plant has a shortened trunk, large xiphoid leaves collected in rosettes up to 60 cm long and about 10 cm wide. Their dark green leathery plates are often decorated with a light yellow or light green border. The flowers are white with a strong aroma.
- Dracaena Derema. It looks like fragrant, but with narrower smooth leaves, on which thin contrasting strips are clearly visible. In height, the plant rises to 1.5 m.
- Dracaena bent. The leaves of this variety are up to 40-60 cm long, wide, bluish-green in color, have light contrasting strokes at the edges. The plates are slightly bent outward. In height reaches 1–1.5 m.
- Gold Dracaena. A small ornamental bush with a short green trunk and wide lanceolate leaves collected in a rosette. Their length is about 20 cm. Green leathery plates are bordered by bright yellow stripes.
Home-made dracaena are rather capricious, care for them should be thorough, with strict adherence to water and temperature conditions.
Landing
You can leave the purchased plant in the same pot until next year, but it is better to transplant it into a new one.It is optimal to purchase a substrate for succulents, but you can prepare the mixture yourself. To do this, mix:
- 2 parts of leafy soil;
- 2 parts of peat;
- 1 part of river sand;
- 0.5 parts of wood ash.
The pot should be shallow but wide, with a volume of about 3 l. A layer of drainage of sand or stone chips 2-3 cm high is poured to the bottom. 3-4 cm of soil mixture is laid on top. Then a plant is placed in the dishes, the roots are thoroughly straightened, carefully sprinkled with soil on all sides. You can carry out transshipment by planting a dracaena with a lump of soil, but it is better to inspect the roots first, remove the rotten places and sprinkle the slices with crushed coal. After planting, the earth in a pot is watered.
Care
In the first years of life, the dragon tree grows quite quickly, the roots fill all the free space, absorb all the nutrients from the soil. Therefore, you will need to regularly transplant the plant in new dishes in the spring, completely replacing the soil. This must be done within 4–5 years. Then the plants transship 1 time in 3-4 years.
It is not recommended to place dracaena in direct sunlight, but it is also impossible to hide it in the shade. On the east or south-west side, it is advisable to place the pots a short distance from the windows, to slightly diffuse the light with the help of a translucent tulle or semi-closed blinds.
The most suitable temperature is 25–40 ° С. The plant is not afraid of heat, but it is very sensitive to drafts, sharp changes. In winter, you can arrange a tree at rest, exposing it to a cool place with a temperature of about 15 ° C.
From spring to autumn, it is necessary to water the dracaena every other day, the leaves must be wiped with a damp cloth. Indoor air should also be humidified. In warm rainy weather, you can take out pots on the street or open windows. The lack of moisture adversely affects the green part: the edges of the leaves begin to dry out, curl. In winter, at rest, it is enough to water the bushes 1-2 times a month.
Nitroammophosphate, combined fertilizers for succulents are used for top dressing.. They are brought in during the growing season every 15 days. With insufficiently nutritious soil or too slow growth, it is possible to feed Dracaena with wood ash or deciduous humus. Manure is not recommended.
If the leaves become sticky, dark plaques or threads similar to cobwebs appear on them, then it is necessary to address the attacked parasites. Most often, succulents affect scale insects and spider mites. The aerial part can be treated with special insecticides.. Another option is to wipe the leaves with garlic infusion, soapy water.
Breeding
Dracaena is propagated by stem and apical cuttings in April or May. Parts of the plant are separated by a length of at least 7 cm with a sharp blade pre-treated with alcohol. A growth stimulator is applied to the cut sites, the cuttings are planted in the prepared substrate from peat and sand. Rooting occurs within 2–4 months. Lower leaves are removed to speed up the process..
Under all conditions of detention, it is quite possible to wait for the flowering of a home dragon tree.