Birthday
HydrangeasTrees seem ordinary, but around the world there are real wonders: trees with "bleeding" trunks, rainbow bark or fiery flowers. Here are some of the most unusual trees on the planet — and the one you can see in Ukraine.
1. Dragon tree
The dragon tree (Dracaena draco) grows in the Canary Islands, Madeira, Cape Verde and Morocco. When its bark is damaged, it oozes a thick dark red resin known as "dragon's blood", long used as a dye, in varnishes and in folk medicine. The name comes from the Greek drakaina, "female dragon", and an ancient legend says the tree grew where a dragon's blood was spilled in a fight with an elephant.
Dragon trees grow very slowly, so they are often credited with enormous ages. The famous tree at Orotava on Tenerife, said by legend to be thousands of years old, was destroyed by a storm in 1868. Today visitors flock to the "Thousand-Year-Old Dragon Tree" in Icod de los Vinos, although scientists put its age much lower. Its relative, the Socotra dragon tree (Dracaena cinnabari), is famous for its umbrella-shaped crown. Both species are protected.
2. Rainbow eucalyptus
Eucalyptus deglupta is the only eucalyptus native to the Northern Hemisphere, growing in the Philippines, Indonesia and New Guinea. Its bark peels off in strips, and the bright green new layer gradually darkens to blue, purple, orange and maroon, so the trunk looks as if an artist had painted it. The tree grows quickly and is widely planted for paper pulp.
3. Bloodwood
Pterocarpus angolensis, known as kiaat or bloodwood, grows in southern and central Africa. When its bark is cut, it releases a dark red, blood-like sap that thickens and seals the wound. In folk medicine the sap was used for "blood ailments", but there is no scientific evidence for this. Kiaat timber is prized for furniture, and in spring the tree is covered in fragrant yellow flowers.
4. African tulip tree
Spathodea campanulata from tropical Africa grows up to 25 m tall and bears large, fiery orange flowers shaped like tulips. The cup-shaped flowers collect rainwater and nectar, attracting birds — and, in the Americas where it was introduced, even hummingbirds. Because it grows so fast, it has become invasive on some tropical islands.
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5. Cannonball tree
Couroupita guianensis is native to the rainforests of South America and is often planted near temples in India and Southeast Asia. Its fragrant pinkish-red flowers grow straight from the trunk, and its fruits look like rusty cannonballs up to 20–25 cm across. Ripe fruits fall to the ground with a thud, so parks put up warning signs under these trees.
6. Soapberry tree
Soapberry trees (Sapindus) grow in the tropics and subtropics of Asia and the Americas. The husks of their fruits — "soap nuts" — contain saponins that form a gentle lather in water. They have long been used for washing, but saponins irritate the eyes and the fruits are not edible.
7. Baobab
Baobabs (Adansonia) are a symbol of the African savanna; six of the eight species grow only in Madagascar. Their massive trunks store thousands of litres of water for the dry season, and the largest trees have girths of over 25–30 m. When they drop their leaves in the dry season, they look like trees planted upside down.
8. Giant sequoia
The giant sequoia grows on the western slopes of California's Sierra Nevada. It is the largest tree on Earth by trunk volume: the famous General Sherman is about 84 m tall and more than 11 m across at the base. Sequoias live for over 3,000 years, and their thick bark protects them from wildfires.
What about Ukraine?
You can see a "tulip tree" here too: Liriodendron tulipifera from North America. Its yellow-green flowers with an orange band really do look like tulips, and its leaves have an unusual "cut-off" shape. Tulip trees grow in botanical gardens and historic parks, such as the botanical gardens in Kyiv and Sofiyivka Park.
FAQ
Why is the dragon tree called that?
Because of its dark red resin, known as "dragon's blood", and ancient legends about dragons.
Is rainbow eucalyptus bark really naturally multicoloured?
Yes: the bark peels at different times, and the young green bark gradually changes colour.
Love remarkable plants? Browse our potted plants with UFL delivery in Kyiv — you'll find dracaenas there too.
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Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
