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Dracaena draco 'Azores' (Azores Dragon Tree) - A low branching form of evergreen succulent Dragon Tree, Dracaena draco, that grows naturally in the Portuguese Azores Archipelago. Unlike the taller Canary Island form, this plant forms a massive base with thick stems radiating from low to the ground but like other Dragon Trees old specimens will have a thick gray barked trunk and at the terminal ends of the smooth barked thick branches has rosette clusters of 2 foot long by 1 1/2-inch-wide pliable sword-shaped blue-green leaves. In later spring into early summer appear the small fragrant greenish-white flowers borne on in a 2-foot-long inflorescence of branching panicles that are followed by orange berries. It remains unbranched until it flowers.
Our plants were grown from seed collected by the intrepid botanical explorer, the late John Lavranos. Lavranos collected the seed on Pico Island, one of the Central Group islands in the Azores Archipelago. This island has the stratovolcano Ponta do Pico, which at 7,713 ft above sea level is the highest of the Atlantic Mountains. It is twice as tall as any other mountains in the Azores. Lavranos long contended that there once were Dracaena trees growing on most Atlantic islands and these plants on Pico Island were native to this location around the southwest foot of Ponta do Pico, where the seed was collected. The Azores have an extremely mild climate that is never too hot or below freezing, so this plant likely is no hardier than those from the Canary Islands, even though the Azores are much further to the north in the 36.5°–40° latitudes equivalent to northern California.
For more information on the typical Canary Island for see our main listing of Dracaena draco. We only have two boxed specimens remaining of this selected clone that we received as seedlings in from John Lavranos's longtime friend and Arizona resident Monte Crawford. Pictures of trees growing on Pico Island sent to us by John Lavranos in June 2017 shortly before he sadly passed in February 2018.
This information about Dracaena draco 'Azores' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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