The Dragon in the Garden

Myth and symbolism, that wonderful staple of Canary Island history ...

Is this the dragon in the Garden of the Hesperides? Some would have it so. Icod de los Viños' famous Drago or Dragon Tree (the endemic Dracaena draco), is said to be anything up to 3,000 years old. More recent tests suggest an age of around 800 to 1,000 years, which is time enough.

Certainly it is the largest and oldest specimen known and has become the symbol of the town in which it stands, apparently attracting up to 6,000 tourists gawking at it every day. Measurements vary, depending upon which report you read, but the best seem to suggest a height of around 25 meters and some 10 meters around the perimeter of the base. The enormous Drago has around 300 branches and an estimated weight of 80 tons.

The land on which it stands, the finca formerly the property of Doña Guillermina Fajardo Carballo, was acquired by the local town hall on September 6, 1916, for the princely sum of nine thousand pesetas. In today's money, that is 54 Euros or about £36 / US $65. Records indicate that the finca was then being watered with 480 liters of water daily.

The Drago was declared a Natural Monument of National Interest in 1927, since which time it has enjoyed and suffered many fates. At the beginning of the 1980's an immense hole, four meters high and three meters wide, was found in the center of the tree, caused by rotting. The tree now has a fan installed inside to ensure that the damp can't attack it and an artificial, metal structure to ensure that it won't be uprooted by hurricane winds.

Today, the Drago tree is housed within the more than three hectares of the Parque del Drago of great botanical and historical interest, which shows various of the island bioclimatic zones, endemic plants, medicinal plants, along with traditions of the area.

Dragomilenario - everything about the myths and the history of the Drago. Drago de Canarias dracaena draco - photos and plant information. Dracaena draco "Drago" - much clearer photos here. See where this picture was taken. [?]