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Home > Products > Trees > Big Dracaena draco in San Diego

  Big Dracaena draco in San Diego
 

The Biggest Dragon Trees (Dracaena draco), in San Diego, California
by Randy Baldwin, San Marcos Growers

 
Santa Barbara Dragon Tree
Dragon Tree at Alameda Park in Santa Barbara
 

On February 14, 2014, Matt Ritter, Cal Poly Professor and tree book author, threw down the gauntlet when he measured the large old Dracaena draco in Alameda Park (downtown Santa Barbara) and declared it the National US Champion Dragon Tree. There were so many others in Santa Barbara known to be larger that this started a quest to find and measure all of the large Dracaena draco in private estates and gardens in Santa Barbara area. The progress we have made on this is documented on our Biggest Dragon Trees of Santa Barbara Page. In the process of determining which of our own Santa Barbara trees were the largest we also began searching for other trees in places such as Santa Monica, Malibu, Corona del Mar and San Diego. It was in San Diego that we found many other dragon trees that were also very big, though we have not found trees down there that are nearly as big as those in Santa Barbara!.

 
San Diego Dragon Tree
Hotel Del Coronado Dragon Tree
A Coronado Daily Photo

The largest specimen Dracaena draco in the San Diego area was reputedly the specimen in front of the Hotel Del Coronado but soon we received pictures of other large dragon trees, many also from Coronado Island and then the autumn 1958 issue of California Garden was discovered with a Dragon Tree on the cover and an article by Chauncey I. Jerabek title "The Dragon Tree" that listed all of the larger Dracaena draco in the San Diego area. Thanks largely to Google Map images, many of these dragon trees have been found to still exist including the ones that graced the cover of the California Garden magazine that was in the garden of Captain Clayton Miller USN at 1265 Alameda Blvd.

 
San Diego Dragon Tree
1958 California Garden Dragon Tree Cover
 
San Diego Dragon Tree
Captain Clayton Miller Garden
Dragon Tree at 1265 Alameda Blvd.Photo from Google Maps
 
 
San Diego Dragon Tree San Diego Dragon Tree
Dragon Tree on Monterey Ave on Coronado Island (San Diego)
Photo from Eric Anderson of Seedco
Dragon Tree on Ocean Ave on Coronado Island (San Diego)
Photo from John Blocker
 
 
San Diego Dragon Tree San Diego Dragon Tree
Dragon Tree at the Baby Del on Coronado Island (San Diego)
Photo from Google Maps
Dragon Tree at Adella Ave on Coronado Island (San Diego)
Photo from Google Maps
 
San Diego Dragon Tree
Dragon Trees at Flora Ave on Coronado Island (San Diego)
Photo from John Blocker
 
 
San Diego Dragon Tree San Diego Dragon Tree
Dragon Tree at 2920 Rosecrans (San Diego)
Photo from Google Maps
Dragon Tree at St James by the Sea in La Jolla (San Diego)
Photo from Google Maps
 
 
San Diego Dragon Tree San Diego Dragon Tree
Dragon Tree La Jolla Presbyterian Church (San Diego)
Photo from Google Maps
Dracaena San Diego Safari Park (North County San Diego)
Photo from Tony Rangel
 
 
San Diego Dragon Tree San Diego Dragon Tree
Largest Dragon Tree at San Diego Botanic Garden (ex Quail Botanic Garden)
Photo from Diana Wilder
Dragon Tree forest at San Diego Botanic Garden (ex Quail Botanic Garden)
Photo from Diana Wilder
 
See our Biggest Dragon Trees of Santa Barbara Page for more information about the Quest to find the largest dragon trees in California.
 
Thank you to everyone that helped with this project.
If you know of another large Dragon Tree in California or elsewher or have more information about the introduction of this speciees into cultivation, please contact me.