The Dragonblood Tree (Dracaena cinnabari)
Updated: Oct 6, 2019
This is a plant that you can find in the video game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While it would be hard to stand on these trees the same way that you do in the game, they are still fascinating and look like they were taken directly out of a fantasy book.
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Physical Characteristics
The main characteristics of this tree are the smooth looking bark and the branches that all reach up to about the same height. This gives the tree a bit of a mushroom appearance. The lower parts of the trees have no branches at all, as they are all at the top.
The reason for this might have to do with it being an adaptation to allow the plant to get more sunlight. Their shape is also used to help condense water in the air, and channel it towards their roots. This can help with an otherwise dry climate such as on the island.
It generally flowers around March; these flowers appear at the ends of the branches. Later on, they bear small berry-like fruit, which is eaten and dispersed by birds and other animals. These trees ooze a dark red resin, colloquially known as Dragon's Blood, hence the name of the plant.
Habitat and Location
This tree is native to and exclusive to, the Socotra archipelago, which is a small island near Yemen and Somalia.
The IUCN RedList considers it Vulnerable, due to droughts and current logging operations. Climate Change has made the entire island that this tree resides on as potentially inhabitable, so there is a chance that this classification is likely to change soon. Especially as upwards of half of the habitat this plant grows on can be uninhabitable due to monsoons, etc, by 2080.
Learn more about this wonderful tree by watching the video below: