Drago de Icod de los Vinos, Dragon tree in Icod de los Vinos, Spain
Drago de Icod de los Vinos is a dragon tree in Icod de los Vinos, Tenerife, reaching 20 meters in height with a trunk perimeter of 20 meters. Its broad crown grows from a thick trunk covered in cracked, gray-brown bark that has deepened into furrows over centuries.
The specimen was declared a National Monument in 1917 after botanists highlighted its importance to the islands. Scientific studies suggest it is around 800 years old, though earlier estimates claimed it was several thousand.
The dragon tree appears on the coat of arms of Icod de los Vinos and was featured on the former 1000 pesetas banknotes. Its red sap, called dragon blood by locals, was once used for medicinal purposes when the bark was wounded.
The dragon tree stands within Parque del Drago, a three-hectare park displaying native Canary Islands vegetation including cardons and palms. Visitors can walk around the enclosed area and view the surroundings from different angles.
The trunk's 6-metre cavity was sealed with stones and cement in the 1930s; arboriculturist Kenneth Alien reopened the entrance in 1985 and installed a large fan inside to keep air moving and stop fungal growth. The tree is estimated to weigh around 140 tonnes, and when it flowered in 1995 it carried some 1,800 flowering branches, gaining about 3.5 tonnes during the fruiting season.
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