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Dracaena cinnabari
Asparagaceae FAMILY Vulnerable

Dracaena cinnabari

Dracaena cinnabari

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
Growth—

Dracaena cinnabari is a plant of the drier tropics, growing best in areas where the monsoon causes several months of cloud and drizzly weather each year[1]. It is found in areas with seasonally arid climates where the average annual precipitation is 200 - 500mm and the mean annual temperature is 18 - 20°c[2]. Requires a well-drained soil and a position in full sun. Established plants are very drought tolerant. This species is one of several that supply a red resin from their stem. This resin, often known as 'Dragon's Blood' is often used as an external application to treat a range of skin problems and injuries[3]. Dragon's Blood can be obtained from several species in this genus, as well as from three other distinct genera - Croton species, Daemonorops species and Pterocarpus species[3]

Propagation

Seed - Cuttings. Dracaena species are generally easy to propagate. Only a small piece of the plant is required to form a new plant, and even when thrown away it may easily root[4]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Dracaena+cinnabari>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  2. [2]The Conservation Status and Population Mapping of the Endangered Dracaena Serrulata in the Dhofar Mountains, Oman — Vahalik P. et al · 2020 · http://10.3390/f11030322 ↩︎
  3. [3]A Systematic Review of the Botanical, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Profile of Dracaena cochinchinensis, a Plant — Jia-Yi Fan et al · 2014 · http://10.3390/molecules190710650 · ISBN 1420-3049 ↩︎
  4. [4]Taxonomic novelties in African Dracaena (Dracaenaceae) — Damen T.H.J. et al · 2018 · https://doi.org/10.3767/blumea.2018.63.01.05 · ISBN 2212-1676 ↩︎
  5. [5]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  6. [6]Ethnobotanical Survey of Dracaena cinnabari and Investigation of the Pharmacognostical Properties, Antifungal and An — Al-Fatimi M. · 2018 · http://10.3390/plants7040091 ↩︎