Dragon's blood tree (Dracaena cinnabari)

Species: Dragon’s blood tree                       (Dracaena cinnabari)

Status: Vulnerable (VU)

Interesting Fact: The dragon’s blood tree is named for its dark red resin, a substance which has been highly prized since ancient times.

Arguably the most famous and distinctive plant of the island of Socotra, the evocatively named dragon’s blood tree has a unique and bizarre appearance, its upturned, densely-packed crown having the shape of an upside-down umbrella. The bizarre shape of the dragon’s blood tree helps it to survive in often arid conditions and on mountaintops with little soil. Morning mists condense on the waxy, skyward-pointing leaves, the water then channelling down the trunk to the roots. The huge, densely packed crown also provides highly effective shade, so reducing the evaporation of any water drops that fall to the ground, and giving shade to the tree’s roots. In addition, this shading allows seedlings to survive better beneath the adult tree than in full sun, which could be why many dragon’s blood trees grow close together. Dragon’s blood trees are reported to be slow-growing and potentially long-lived.

Climate Change: The main threat to the dragon’s blood tree is thought to come from the gradual drying out of the Socotra Archipelago, a process that has been ongoing for the last few hundred years, but which may be exacerbated by global climate change. Increasing aridity is predicted to cause a 45 percent reduction in available habitat for this species by the year 2080.

For more information on climate change, visit ARKive’s climate change pages.

Take part in ARKive’s Creative Climate Change Challenge or find out how you can get involved in Climate Week.

View images of the dragon’s blood tree on ARKive.

Becky Moran, ARKive Species Text Author

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This week we have crossed the Atlantic to see if the Wildscreen USA team have a different approach to the amazing species ARKive has to offer. Will a seasonal visitor be favoured by this week’s team member like it was for Susan Russell, or something slightly more stationary?

Liana Vitali – ARKive Science, Education and Outreach Officer, Wildscreen USA

Favourite species? Bristlecone pine

Why? It’s my favorite species because it’s one of, if not the oldest living organisms on the planet. It has amazingly twisted branches and although at first glance it appears to have withered away, it’s really thriving underneath; a kind of diamond in the rough. Finally, the tree ring growths are used to study climate change since these trees date back over 4,000 years ago. It’s mind-boggling to think that you can touch a living tree that was on Earth well before the pyramids were built!

Favourite bristlecone pine image on ARKive:

Bristlecone pines are thought to be one of the world's oldest living organisms

The bristlecone pine is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. As a slowly regenerating plant, future climate and environmental conditions could pose a future threat to future populations of this species. Diseases and insect pests are injurious to the bristlecone pine, as well as fires and vandalism. The location of ‘Methuselah’, thought to be the oldest living tree at around 4,789 years old, is kept secret to avoid vandalism.

 See more photos and videos of the bristlecone pine.

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Dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)

Species: Dawn redwood                     (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)

Status: Critically Endangered (CR)

Interesting Fact: The dawn redwood was known only from ancient fossils, until a small population was discovered in the forests of Central China in 1944.

Considered to be one of the greatest botanical finds of the 20th century, the dawn redwood has been dubbed a ‘living fossil’. This coniferous tree grows with an orange-brown, thick, tapering trunk and a broad, buttressed base. Green in the spring and summer, the leaves of this deciduous tree turn a vibrant reddish-brown before falling to the ground in autumn. The dawn redwood is a monoecious species, meaning the male and female reproductive organs are borne on the same tree. This species is wind pollinated, and small, winged seeds then develop inside the cone, which splits when ripe, allowing wind to disperse the seeds across the landscape. In favourable habitat, the dawn redwood may grow up to 80 centimetres per year, reaching incredible heights over 40 metres, with a lifespan of over 100 years.

Existing in several fragmented, relict populations, the largest of which numbered only around 120 mature trees in 2006, the dawn redwood is one of Asia’s rarest trees. Since its discovery this species has been protected, and a number of reserves have been created to protect the remaining trees.

Find out more about the dawn redwood with Kew Royal Botanical Gardens.

View images of the dawn redwood on ARKive.

Becky Moran, ARKive Species Text Author

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Grandidier’s baobab (Adansonia grandidieri)

Species: Grandidier’s baobab                            (Adansonia grandidieri)

Status: Endangered (EN)

Interesting Fact: The flowers of Grandidier’s baobab are said to smell like sour watermelon!

A long-lived species, the magnificent Grandidier’s baobab is only found in Madagascar. These unusual looking trees have massive cylindrical trunks and, at certain times of the year, a flat-topped crown of bluish-green leaves. The flowers of this species open after dusk and are thought to be pollinated by nocturnal mammals, such as fork-marked lemurs, which feed on the nectar from the baobab’s flowers. Grandidier’s baobab bears ripe fruit in November and December, and the kidney-shaped seeds are thought to be dispersed by water. There are a number of animal species that may have acted as seed dispersers in the past, but these have become extinct since human colonisation.

Grandidier’s baobab is heavily exploited, with the fruit and seeds being used for food and oil and the bark used to make rope. It is also threatened by habitat loss, with many trees being cleared for agriculture. Many organisations are currently working to protect the unique biodiversity of Madagascar, and plans to increase the amount of protected land will hopefully help to conserve this amazing tree.

Find out more about conservation in Madagascar: Madagascar Wildlife Conservation.

View images of Grandidier’s baobab on ARKive.

Becky Moran, ARKive Species Text Author

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Each year in the UK, the 5^th November marks Fireworks Night, an annual commemoration of Guy Fawkes’ failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Across the country tonight you can expect to see sparklers, blazing bonfires and spectacular fireworks. Of course, it’s not just us humans who enjoy a dazzling display. They might not be quite as explosive, but the natural world has some fantastic fireworks of its very own…..

Fountains of feathers

Male birds are some of the biggest show-offs in the animal kingdom, and their extravagant feathers can be the key to a female’s heart. We thought we would kick off our display with some of the most flamboyant, including the Atlantic royal flycatcher, the raggiana bird of paradise and an unusual albino Indian peafowl….

Fancy Flowers

For some explosions of colour, what better place to look than the world of plants? Our top picks are the pretty ribbon pincushion and the aptly named fire bush!

Underwater wonders

The marine world is full of incredible species, and the jewel anemone and purple sea urchin are certainly as beautiful as any firework. Lets hear an oooooh and an ahhhhh for the lovely lionfish too!

Pinwheels and rockets

No display would be complete without some spectacular rockets, and we don’t think they come much brighter than the golden rocket frog! For good measure we have thrown in an impressive pinwheel too, the Dlinza pinwheel to be precise!

A creature from the flames…

Most of us know to check our bonfires for hibernating hedgehogs before lighting them, but I bet not many of you have thought to look for salamanders before. It is believed that the common fire salamander is so-called as it often hides in damp logs, and would be forced to emerge when the wood was used in fires, giving the impression that it had crawled out of the flames!

Claire Lewis, ARKive Media Researcher

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