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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Dracaena draco (Dragon tree) |
Dracaena draco (ASPARAGACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Dracaena draco(L.) L.
Published in Syst. Nat. ed. 12 , 2: 246 (1767) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Asparagaceae Juss. (The Asparagus Family)
38 species from the Asparagaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Dragon tree, Canary Islands dragon tree |
Maltese name(s) : |
Drakena |
Status for Malta : |
Casual or accidental alien. Species that was introduced in Malta rather recently and normally it is short-lived
or resticted to small populations for a short time, without becoming widespread or invasive. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Monocotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Macro-Phanerophyte ( high trees usually over 5 m high ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
May – June |
Colour of Flowers: |
Cream or White |
Toxicity: |
Not particularly toxic |
Name Derivation : |
Dracaena: ()
draco: ()
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Planting in rural areas : |
Cannot be planted in the wild (rural areas) since the species may be invasive (see ERA guidelines) |
Remarks : |
The few examples found here and there in the wild might be introduced deliberately by man. |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
ree-like monocot with spirally arranged, entire, sword-shaped leaves. Stems up to 15 m tall, thick and cylindrical, glabrous, branching dichotomously after flowering, forming a dense, umbrella-like crown. Leaves linear to ensiform, 30–150 cm long, 3–6 cm wide, sessile, glaucous green, with parallel venation and acute tips. Inflorescences terminal, paniculate, branched, measuring 18–36 cm, with pedicels 7–12 mm, articulated at mid-length. Calyx campanulate, 6-lobed, persistent. Corolla tubular with actinomorphic perianth, greenish-white, approximately 10 mm long. Bracts small, ovate, 5–10 mm, green. Stamens 6, inserted on the corolla tube; filaments free, anthers basifixed, yellow. Fruit a fleshy orange berry, 1-seeded, 15–20 mm in diameter. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Cultivated
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Disturbed garigue, steppe, abandoned fields or farmhouses.
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Chromosome number(s) |
2n=40 | |
Native region outside Europe |
Macaronesia region incl. Canary Islands
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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Az(C L) Ca(C P T) Ma Md(M P) [cLi nSi(S)]
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Online Purchase (Images)
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
