Origin
South America
Light
Full sun
Watering
Weekly
Care
Easy
Flowering
Flowering
Outdoor
Dragonnier de Socotra
A parasol of tightly packed branches on the island of Socotra, and a blood-red sap harvested since antiquity.
Care Profile
A guide to ensuring your botanical companion thrives.
Origin
Near East
Light
Full sun
Watering
Rarely
Maintenance
Moderate
The umbrella of Socotra
Endemic to the Socotra archipelago off Yemen, it branches into a canopy so dense that it condenses fog and waters its own roots in the shade beneath.
Cut bark weeps a scarlet resin — dragon's blood — traded across the Indian Ocean; but goats browse the seedlings and the species has almost stopped renewing itself.
"A tree that makes its own rain."
01
Styling Tip 01
Hard sun, dry air
Full sun and a dry atmosphere: stagnant humidity harms it far more than heat.
02
Styling Tip 02
Very infrequent watering
Water thoroughly, then let the soil dry out completely; in winter, almost nothing.
03
Styling Tip 03
Patience
It only branches after its first flowering, sometimes ten years on: force it with neither pruning nor fertiliser.
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Origin
South America
Light
Full sun
Watering
Rarely
Care
Easy
Flowering
Flowering