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Loss of an Iconic Ft Lauderdale Dragon Tree


Jerry@TreeZoo

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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-sb-lauderdale-dragon-blood-tree-20170817-story.html

 

The large dragon tree in downtown Ft Lauderdale has, unfortunately, come to the end of its line.  This tree was remarkable in size and for the fact that most "experts" would never have given it a chance to survive in rainy South Florida.

 

I don't know what led to the fungal infection getting a toehold, but once rot starts in these, there is not much to stop it.  It had to be 50-75 years old.

 

http://gyr.fortlauderdale.gov/greener-government/natural-resources-preservation/growing-our-green-canopy/gyr-tree-directory/dragonblood-tree

  • Upvote 2

So many species,

so little time.

Coconut Creek, Florida

Zone 10b (Zone 11 except for once evey 10 or 20 years)

Last Freeze: 2011,50 Miles North of Fairchilds

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I tried growing a dragon tree I bought back in 2002. It survived for a few years and died. A palm friend sent me D. draco seeds a few years ago, and I have about 10 of the them busting out of one gallon pots. I plan on planting every one of them and hope for the best in the dry soils out here on the Lake Wales Ridge.

With respect to the tree in the story, that is very unfortunate. 

Mad about palms

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Is this a cinnabari or a draco? How did they get a decent-sized Socotran tree during the Cold War, when it was a Soviet naval base? They're trivially easy to get now - I have two young ones - but were huge dough as recently as 2005.

If so, amazed one survived that long in SoFlo. Comments about the plant being at the end of its natural life due to old age are puerile.

J

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I don't know what the difference is between draco and cinnabari, if there is any.  My guess is this thing was started before WWII, so no cold war issues.

So many species,

so little time.

Coconut Creek, Florida

Zone 10b (Zone 11 except for once evey 10 or 20 years)

Last Freeze: 2011,50 Miles North of Fairchilds

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53 minutes ago, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

I don't know what the difference is between draco and cinnabari, if there is any.  My guess is this thing was started before WWII, so no cold war issues.

A). There are several, but not evident from afar. Besides comparative rarity in cultivation and nature (still, by widest of margins), both spp. are known to attain great age and to be rather intolerant of humid subtropical and tropical climates.

B). So, my guess would be that they don't either?

C). Reporting linked here indicates ~40 yrs. 1977-ish. ~First rumblings of Nica Revolution. Surely rather chilly, at least?

BTW, more than mildly surprised heroics not being tried here, even if it's a lowly but still very valuable and venerated large D draco. If, against probabilities, an enormous Socotran dragon tree has been left to fall apart by the powers that be in Ft Lauderdale, FL,  then I suppose it doesn't take much in terms of horticultural chops to be a city arborist there.

Peace,

J

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The building was built in 1948 and served as City Hall and later as the Federal Courthouse.  i am guessing it was at least a few years old at that point.

So many species,

so little time.

Coconut Creek, Florida

Zone 10b (Zone 11 except for once evey 10 or 20 years)

Last Freeze: 2011,50 Miles North of Fairchilds

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Fully aware I could be wrong, gonna go with Curtain #2, Romantically Misidentified D draco until provenance or positive ID established. Still a sin they appear to be letting it blow up.

If D cinnabari, lots and lots of big, rooted truncheons in CA will buy you a nice exotic car.

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4 hours ago, stone jaguar said:

  then I suppose it doesn't take much in terms of horticultural chops to be a city arborist there.

Peace,

J

Stevie Wonder could be head arborist for most cities around here. Take a 220 question test, get a license, and voila!, off to the races. No knowledge of plant physiology required. What a joke. For an iconic symbol of the city they sure dropped the ball here.

 

  • Upvote 1

 

 

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Has anyone rooted large cuttings of these?

So many species,

so little time.

Coconut Creek, Florida

Zone 10b (Zone 11 except for once evey 10 or 20 years)

Last Freeze: 2011,50 Miles North of Fairchilds

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I haven't personally, but they can be propagated from woody branch cuttings like most (all?) dracaenas and cordylines. I'm sure there are tricks to improve your strike rate.

If you can get your hands on a branch, I believe easiest way to determine if Socotran when not in flower is that leaves are long-lanceolate, stiff and rather brittle. D draco has wider, laxer leaves. Mine have a minutely rugose lower leaf surface with very steep ridges on midvein and others, but unsure whether adults quite this marked.

J

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7 hours ago, Jerry@TreeZoo said:

Has anyone rooted large cuttings of these?

Yes, do tell.

We want to know.

There's a D. draco that might get dozered.

(SOB!)

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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If it were me, I'd cut at natural branch constrictions, dust with a good quality rooting powder, spay ops with Vaporgard, let dry in airy spot for a couple weeks, then stand upright in a side ventilated clay or net pot filled with medium pumice that had been rinsed with Physan in a bright, warm spot.

In the case here, one wonders what the city has decided to do with the remains. On closer inspection of images, the leaves don't look right for draco, so there may indeed have been a horticultural treasure sitting there in plain sight in Ft Lauderdale. 

Jerry, if you or anyone else can get healthy-looking stems, I would have a lab try and determine whether the pathogen is something hard to combat with systemics. If so, rather more complicated. If not, don't see why this tree can't be propagated, but would be good to hear from people in SoCal who have grown and moved draco.

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there is an article from a city arborist that says he believed it to be draco for years but more recently has changed his ID to cinnabar.  I've always thought it was draco too.  I have seen a number of larger Draceana draco around the Ft. Lauderdale area and even at a condo directly on the oceanfront.  My experience in growing from seed is that cinnabar is easier.  

I'm glad this thread made it's way to a bicoastal conversation.  I'm happy for the input of people with experience with moving larger dracaenas.  I've seen it done and I know it's possible.  

The more common dracaena here is arborea.  I've rooted stems from larger trees with no problems.  I suspect draco would be equally easy.  

I hope the tree can be saved.  If they are committed to destruction I'll hope to get some cuttings.  This is a spectacular tree that so many people have admired for years.  It's really a tragic loss.

 

  • Upvote 1

Chip Jones

www.cycadflorida.com

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The destruction of this specimen by the City of Ft.Lauderdale upon the recommendation of a bureaucratic soothsayer would be assanine. This is particularly true if said poltroon has identified this icon as a cinnabar. Perhaps the City Arborist should be sent this thread with a request that he immediately stand down and re-examine his "public safety" justification.

What you look for is what is looking

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getPart?uid=32736060&partId=2&scope=STAN

 

getPart?uid=32736060&partId=4&scope=STAN

 

The rot goes pretty deeply into the trunk.  There is also old termite galleries evident.  The surrounding tissue is solid.

Edited by Jerry@TreeZoo

So many species,

so little time.

Coconut Creek, Florida

Zone 10b (Zone 11 except for once evey 10 or 20 years)

Last Freeze: 2011,50 Miles North of Fairchilds

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getPart?uid=32736062&partId=2&scope=STAN

 

getPart?uid=32736064&partId=2&scope=STAN

 

getPart?uid=32736064&partId=4&scope=STAN

So many species,

so little time.

Coconut Creek, Florida

Zone 10b (Zone 11 except for once evey 10 or 20 years)

Last Freeze: 2011,50 Miles North of Fairchilds

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Looking through Jeff Moore's (Solana Succulents, CA) recently-published "Aloes & Agaves in Cultivation" this morning, he shows an older D. draco in Alameda park in Santa Barbara that superficially resembles this tree (again, from afar). He cites reports that several very large trees in SB have been there for well over a century. Doesn't give vegetative propagation much of a chance, but this may be due to real motivation to do so given abundance of open-pollinated seed in his area. If the city arborist has not already done so and is genuinely interested in salvaging parts of this tree, I suggest he contact staff at both the Huntington and Lotusland to get their views on saving stem cuttings for replanting down the road.

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Could it be that this is the variant (subspecies?)  from the Açores?

This plant is used to a much wetter climate than D.draco or D.cinnabari which could better adapt to the Florida (wet summers) climate, D.draco and D.cinnabari are growing in much more dry conditions

The Açores draco has  a much more branched tree and the tree branches at an earlier stage Lisbon BG has a good example resembling a giant aloe

In my neighbourhood there is an example ± 100 years old, I have send seed of this tree to Texas and the Huntington BG

Dracaena draco.JPG

Dracaena draco trunk.JPG

  • Upvote 2

Charles Wychgel

Algarve/Portugal

Sunset zone 24

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This is a very interesting subject after some extensive research and remembering a specimen in this area (PB= slightly further north than FTL). It appears that Dracaena draco and Dracaena cinnibar are difficult to distinguish. The draco trunks are wider because the bases of the lowest branches grow down to the soil while clinging tightly to the trunk of the tree which they integrate with and contribute to the radial growth. Conversely, cinnibar specimens have growth zones resembling tree rings. It's leaves are found at the end of its youngest branches. It's trunk is stout but without the banyaning of the draco. It displays dichotomous branching, where each of the branches repeatedly divides into sections.

Please take a look at this local specimen and give thoughts regarding draco, cinnibar or a variant as Charles suggests. The history, particularly of cinnibar, is compelling. It's remote nativity in the Socotra archipelago, part of Yemen in the Arabian Sea and it's adaption for survival in desert conditions makes humid and wet South Florida a great question mark. The same is true of draco with its origins in the Canary Islands, which is also far drier and less humid and wet compared to South Florida. This seems to lead to the possibility of a variation as suggested by Charles.

What you look for is what is looking

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On 8/19/2017, 6:27:09, Gonzer said:

Stevie Wonder could be head arborist for most cities around here. Take a 220 question test, get a license, and voila!, off to the races. No knowledge of plant physiology required. What a joke. 

 

Same goes with Southwest Florida! :rant:

Naples (inland), FL - technically 10a but more like 9b in the winter :hmm:

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I disagree that they are difficult to distinguish in life. The leaves are very distinctive in hand, with Dracaena cinnabari material stiff and almost dagger-like and comparatively much longer than wide. The genetic drift, different sourcing, and local environment in SoFlo gives these trees a somewhat different overall aspect those in coastal California and southern Europe.

In the US, D. cinnabari is and has always been a rare collectors' item that tends to fetch rather high prices when (rarely) available as trunked individuals. As I said from the start, while anything is possible, how in blazes did a large one find its way to a public park in Ft Lauderdale in the post war period?

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Rare plants in Ft Lauderdale were not completely inconceivable in the post war years.  RH Gore was the owner of several floriduh newspapers, including the Ft Lauderdale News and Sun Sentinel.  He was a local developer and later became governor of Puerto Rico for a term.  He owned a hotel downtown and had his own nursery on the west side of town which was very popular at the time.

 

Having said that, I always thought it was a draco.

So many species,

so little time.

Coconut Creek, Florida

Zone 10b (Zone 11 except for once evey 10 or 20 years)

Last Freeze: 2011,50 Miles North of Fairchilds

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Based upon the foregoing, with a complete lack of knowledge regarding Dracaena, I can tell you the leaves on this specimen remind me of a Spanish Bayonet. Coupled with the branching that repeatedly divides in sections, I have to believe that this is a D. cinnabari. 

I believe Jerry has also seen this specimen. I recall he responded to a thread I posted some time ago on this strange item. It is located close to a garden with a large number of out of the ordinary varieties.

Regardless of whether or not the FTL specimen is a draco or a cinnibari, I cannot believe that it cannot be rescued. I hope we can rally some troops to save it. My guess is Ken Johnson could easily remove it and replant it at Casa Johnson or to the highest bidder.

What you look for is what is looking

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1 hour ago, bubba said:

Regardless of whether or not the FTL specimen is a draco or a cinnibari, I cannot believe that it cannot be rescued. I hope we can rally some troops to save it. My guess is Ken Johnson could easily remove it and replant it at Casa Johnson or to the highest bidder.

Best of luck in this endeavor to all who try! Sometimes hard for some professionals to remember that they're not dealing with cabbages or privet when it comes to confronting a challenge like this.

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I have seen this tree before and tho I didn't inspect it closely (I was in a Greyhound Bus, going past it on the way into the station), it certainly looked like the many D. draco I've seen over the years in CA. It certainly stood out in the SE Florida landscape, especially since it was on a typically low, flat piece of ground relatively close to water.

As a consulting arborist myself, I'd like to give the benefit of doubt to the person who has made the recommendation to remove it. I haven't inspected it personally, but if, as Jerry says, it's heavily decayed at the base and is accessible to the general public, the tendency is to err toward public safety. These are extremely heavy trees that hold a wide canopy on a relatively narrow trunk that is not woody. From the photo (can't play vid), it appears to be listing quite heavily (which I did not notice when I saw it several years ago). The combination of these issues would certainly give me cause for concern. If it is still standing when I return to Broward in a few weeks, I'll take a look.

As for propagation, I personally have not grown D. draco from cuttings. Most are generally grown from seed in CA. Would seem likely to be easy to root after a chance to dry out for a week or so, but it's possible that this species may not root. If it could be rooted vegetatively, perhaps it could be craned, cut above the decay, and rooted intact offsite? I can inquire as to its rooting potential from some who have more experience if someone has a line on the accessibility, likelihood of an attempt on this tree.

SoCal and SoFla; zone varies by location.

'Home is where the heart suitcase is'...

_____

"If, as they say, there truly is no rest for the wicked, how can the Devil's workshop be filled with idle hands?"

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Nice specimen, Bubba. In Palm Beach?

On 8/22/2017, 10:53:56, bubba said:

IMG_1149.thumb.JPG.7d22d080510190686e48eIMG_1144.thumb.JPG.124ae90882708c1923ef9

 

SoCal and SoFla; zone varies by location.

'Home is where the heart suitcase is'...

_____

"If, as they say, there truly is no rest for the wicked, how can the Devil's workshop be filled with idle hands?"

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The great big hole in the Ft Lauderdale tree is from one of the three main branches that tore away.  I don't know if it fell on its own or if a vehicle hit it, but it revealed all the internal decay and termite damage,  Two main branches remain but because of that same internal decay, they may also break off.

  • Upvote 1

So many species,

so little time.

Coconut Creek, Florida

Zone 10b (Zone 11 except for once evey 10 or 20 years)

Last Freeze: 2011,50 Miles North of Fairchilds

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Here is an interesting article on dracos re-rooting from aerial roots.  It is quite long and I only read a bit of it. 468_2014_987_Fig7_HTML.gif

 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00468-014-0987-0#Fig2

 

 

  • Upvote 1

So many species,

so little time.

Coconut Creek, Florida

Zone 10b (Zone 11 except for once evey 10 or 20 years)

Last Freeze: 2011,50 Miles North of Fairchilds

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Nice link, Jerry. I *think* people don't make the effort to propagate dracos by truncheons in CA because they are readily available and easily-grown from domestic seed. Just that simple.

Ken, my critique of the arborist here is based entirely on the impression that I got from the reportage that suggests he believes this tree to be a mature cinnabari (which, although very unlikely, would almost certainly make it unique in the 'States), and a "Tree of Distinction", but that they appear resigned to losing it. He obviously isn't at fault that it has internal rot at this size and in So Fl climate, but one would have thought that the news coverage would be have included his efforts to save some part/s of of it to "carry on" its heritage. Maybe this is happening and it's not being reported.

Again, someone providing a description of leaf texture and a closeup of a complete leaf would pretty much resolve ID.

Your idea of lopping it off above the rot and rooting it elsewhere sounds interesting. Given images Jerry provided just above this post, perhaps they can fence off the tree to public access and do some large-scale air-layering of the trunk while it is still hanging on there prior to decapitating it?

J

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I have reached out to the Fort Lauderdale City Arborist by telephone (voicemail) and email to discuss the possibility of leveraging our organization's (International Palm Society) resources to remove,transplant and treat and this iconic Dragon Blood Tree. Regardless of whether or not this is a D. draco or D. cinnibari, it certainly is a rare enough find to take reasonable measures to save this specimen.

I have also reached out to a well-known IPS Director, who has the required skill set to remove and transplant of this specimen. Because it is not a variety that many in this area are familiar with, we would like to reach out to other IPS members more familiar with potential treatment of the fungal infection that apparently has compromised this tree. Obviously, some of this is speculation because of the likely layers of bureaucracy in Fort Lauderdale to make this a possibility.

 

 

 

  • Upvote 1

What you look for is what is looking

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Fastfeet/Ken,

This specimen is located at the corner of Granada Road and South Flagler Drive, adjacent to the Intracoastal waterway. It is located two street's south of the Ann Norton Sculpture Garden in West Palm Beach, Fl., where many out of the ordinary specimens grow and have been planted since 1947. I would highly recommend that you or anyone in the area take advantage of this small but outstanding garden.

Based upon the best information offered by the parties on the board, the described specimen and it's growth habit gives all indications that it is a D. cinnibari. While it is certainly counterintuitive that such a specimen indigenous to the desert like Socotra archipelago in the Arabian Sea could exist in steamy South Florida, the trunk is stout but not wide without the abandoning expected in the draco. Previous pictures show the dichotomous branching, where each of the branches repeatedly divides into sections, which is attributed to cinnibari. The leaves are found at the end of its youngest branches and are quite stiff, almost resembling Spanish bayonets.

I have taken some additional pictures that hopefully will assist in expert opinions regarding the species and variety of this tree:

  • Upvote 1

What you look for is what is looking

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The above leaf was plucked from the end of a young branch. It is approximately 19 inches in length and approximately 1 inch in width. I have also taken pictures of the pointed end together with the area from which it was plucked from the specimen:IMG_1166.thumb.JPG.740bb73dfde0c45988c5a

What you look for is what is looking

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