Other Names:  Yemen Dragon Tree

Description:

An interesting succulent plant that forms a single, thick, stout trunk; rosettes of long, sea-green narrow leaves have silvery overtones, and finely toothed margins; cream flowers in spring; very rare in cultivation

Ornamental Features

Arabian Dragon Tree has attractive bluish-green foliage with hints of silver on a plant with an upright spreading habit of growth. The succulent narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain bluish-green throughout the winter. It has creamy white flowers in late spring.

Landscape Attributes

Arabian Dragon Tree is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub. When pruning is necessary, it is recommended to only trim back the new growth of the current season, other than to remove any dieback. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Arabian Dragon Tree is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Arabian Dragon Tree will grow to be about 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 4 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 80 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers dry to average moisture levels with very well-drained soil, and will often die in standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.

Arabian Dragon Tree makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.