The dragon tree group is significant for many different reasons, the most important of which are:

• Dragon trees are tertiary relict species, and the ecosystems (woodlands and very rare forests) being of middle Oligocene to Miocene origin to which these species belong to are one of the evolutionary oldest ecosystems in the world.

• Some species are locally endemic with limited (often island) distribution.

• The distribution of most species is scattered, comprising a small population with unbalanced age structure, and young trees often bring absent.

• Some species are threatened and are listed in the IUCN Red List. In fact, of the six species that have been assessed, five are threatened, while the other 11 species have not yet been assessed.

• The natural regeneration of most species is being destroyed by decades of overgrazing.

• Dragon trees are strongly susceptible and vulnerable to the effects of climate change (drought, cyclones).

• Most species have been from ancient times as an important source of non-timber products (resin, fodder for cattle, and forage for bees, leaves used for rope production), thus belong to the cultural heritage of humanity.

• Dragon trees are flagship and umbrella species hosting many other organisms, including endemic taxa, which are totally dependent on dragon trees.

• Dragon trees strongly and positively influence the hydrology cycles in the landscape.

• Most species are present in developing countries with an unstable political situation, and populations are under pressure, as weak governments have insufficient resources to protect them.

• Dragon trees often provide local income through ecotourism by being aesthetically attractive species, popular with visitors. In addition, some species are commonly sold as attractive indoor plants.

Dragon’s blood is the name given to a deep red exudate obtained originally from Dracaena cinnabari and later from other arborescent dragon trees. From ancient times it was highly valued by many cultures for its traditional medicinal properties. Due to the belief that it is blood from a dragon, it was used also in magic rituals and alchemy. The chemical composition of resin in Dracaena species is very complex. Numerous phytochemical studies of resins from the Dracaena species resulted in the isolation and subsequent identification of sterols, steroidal saponins, lignans, terpenoids, flavonoids, bioflavonoids, carotenoids, and aromatic compounds. Dragon´s blood was used for its antiseptic properties and the resins are still a natural remedy in some cultures today. It was also a highly valued red dye. The first reference to the actual origins of dragon’s blood comes from the Periplus Maris Erythraei (mid-first century BC), which mentions that Arab, Indian, and Greek settlers were sailing to Socotra Island to trade in tortoise shell, aloes, and Indian cinnabar. According to Pliny the Elder’s Historia Naturalis, cinnabar is the name given to dragon’s blood by the Indians. Presumably the term Indian cinnabar, used to describe the dragon’s blood resin from Socotra, was due to it having been mostly distributed by Indian merchants or on Indian ships. Whilst the trade in dragon’s blood resin continued throughout the medieval period, there were an increasing number of alternatives from different geographical locations, such as the Canary Islands and the East Indies.

Dracaena draco subsp. draco (L.) L.

Wild populations of D. draco subsp. draco are only known from Tenerife, it is considered to be extinct in wild in Gran Canaria and others Canary islands. Tenerife Island hosted 694 wild specimens. The current populations of D. draco subsp. draco in the rest of the archipelago are all of cultivated origin. This species also occurs in the Madeira archipelago, where it has been reported from the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo, although it is currently regarded as extinct in the wild too. There seems to be small remnant population on Azores, Flores Island. Cultivated, we can find this species in many places across the world. On Madeira, the wild population of D. draco subsp. draco was mainly found on sea-facing cliffs and as an element of thermo-sclerophyllous zones between sea-level and 200 m a.s.l. in the vegetation of the class Rhamno crenulatae–Oleetea cerasiformis. Similarly, on Tenerife, D. draco subsp. draco occurs in thermo-sclerophyllous vegetation of the same class, namely in the alliance Mayteno canariensis–Juniperion canariensis, between 100 and 600 m a.s.l., where the annual mean rainfall ranges between 200 and 400 mm. On Gran Canaria, D. draco subsp. draco grows in similar habitats to those on Tenerife, but only in the northeastern part of the island that is by the moisture-bearing trade winds.

Dracaena ombet subsp. ombet Baker

D. ombet subsp. ombet is mentioned from Egypt, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia. The species inhabits the sea-facing mountains along the Red Sea and north-ethiopian escarpment, mostly in areas that are affected by the mists that come with the winds. On the north edge of its distribution, it grows in desertic igneous mountains between 450 and 950 m a.s.l. with 50 mm of annual rainfall and with up to 400 mm of additional water per year from mist and cloud. It is mostly found growing as isolated individuals or in small groves on steep rocky slopes and cliffs. In the south, along the north-ethiopian escarpment, D. ombet subsp. ombet thrives in higher altitudes (1400–1800 m a.s.l.), in the transition zone between Afromontane vegetation and Acacia–Commiphora bushland, and forms Dracaena ombet–Acacia etbaica community.

Dracaena ellenbeckiana Engl.

D. ellenbeckiana generally grows on rocky slopes in evergreen and semi-evergreen bushlands or open dry woodlands in elevations between 1000 and 2100 m a.s.l.. In Ethiopia, it is known from the transitional vegetation between dry Afromontane forest (Juniperus and Juniperus–Olea forest) and East African evergreen bushland, from typical East African evergreen bushland, and it is transgressing into Acacia–Commiphora deciduous bushland; altitudinal range 1000–1500 m a.s.l.; and, mean annual rainfall range 300–1000 mm.

Dracaena jayniana Wilkin & Suksathan.

Eight populations of D. jayniana were found in Thailand, with a calculated area of occupancy of 32 km². D. jayniana is a species of highly seasonal deciduous vegetation of limestone karst and it is usually found on hilltops rather than on steep cliffs; it grows in elevations between 300 and 500 m a.s.l.

Dracaena cochinchinensis (Lour.) S.C.Chen

D. cochinchinensis is a species of tropical seasonal evergreen and semi-evergreen moist forests, where it grows on limestone slopes in higher elevation. It grows in environment where seasonal dryness is partially compensated by dense fog and low temperatures during the dry season.

Dracaena yuccifolia Ridl.

The native range of this species is from Peninsula Thailand to Peninsula Malaysia. It is a shrub and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome.

Dracaena cambodiana Pierre ex Gagnep.

Only 10 populations of D. cambodiana remain on Hainan Island; they grow in distinct habitats and have almost all been seriously isolated. The population sizes range from 20 to 5000 individuals in total. The abundance of whole population of D. cambodiana was estimated on Hainan Island to be 7,590 individuals. D. cambodiana is usually found in escarpments of island-like limestone mountains. However, it has also been documented growing on granite along the coast with low rainfall, dry heat, and soil with weak water storage capacity as well as along streams in the mountains far from the sea, which suggests that D. cambodiana can grow in ecologically diverse habitats.

Dracaena kaweesakii Wilkin & Suksathan

D. kaweesakii of Thailand and Myanmar was estimated to be 2,500 mature individuals, with an area of occupancy of 44 km². Individual populations contain tens to hundreds of specimens. D. kaweesakii is a species of limestone rock and it grows between 550 and 2000 m a.s.l.