The Dragon Stone

These are plants named after dragons (there are currently no fungi in the list). Click on the little plant pictures to see photographs of the plant.

Dracocephalum
Dracocephalum (Dracocephalum thymifolium) is an annual, usually growing in bare or waste places. It has lilac blue flowers.

Dragon Arum

Dragon Arum (Dracunculus vulgaris) is a flowering plant from the mediterranean. Also known as dragonwort and dragon lily. It used to be called Arum dracunculus. The flowers are bright red and very striking... and smell like rotten meat. Dragon Arums rely on attracting insects that feed off dead meat to pollinate the flowers.

Dragon Fruit

This fruit is so named because the skin is covered in triangular scales (bright pink/red) like a dragon. The inside is white with numerous small black (edible) seeds. It tastes a bit like melon. Other common names include dragon pearl fruit, pitaya and thang loy. Dragon fruit grows on Hylocereus undatus, the Pitaya or Strawberry Pear. This is a climbing cactus, growing in tropical regions. It seems to have originated in South and Central America. There are two closely related species, Hylocereus polyrhizus and Selenicereus megalanthus which also bear fruit that is sometimes refered to as dragon fruit. H. polyrhizus has fruit with red skins and red fruit inside. S. megalanthus has smaller fruit with whitish insides and red or yellow skin.

Dragonmouth
Dragonmouth (Horminium pyrenaicum) is a perrenial of rocky areas, grasslands, and open woodlands. It has dark blue-violet flowers.

Dragon Spruce
This conifer tree orignates from western China, but is found in parks and gardens around the world. It grows to about 30m tall in the wild. Its Latin name is Picea asperata.

There are between three and five sub-species of this tree, all with minor differences. It is hard to say exactly how many sub-species there are, as experts argue whether they should be sub-species or species in their own right.

Dragon's Teeth
Dragon's Teeth (Tetragonololais maritimus) is found naturally in central and southern Europe. It is usually found in chalk grasslands, and similar habitats. It has large, pale yellow flowers. Also known as Lotus siliquosus.

Dragon Tree
Dragon Trees (Dracaena draco) come from the Canary Islands. They are commonly grown as houseplants, and have a palm-like appearance.

Green Dragon

Green dragon, Arisaema dracontium, is a small woodland plant. The name comes from the flower, which looks a bit like a green head with a long yellow tongue sticking out. After flowering, a red or orange fruit forms.

Lesser Snapdragon
Lesser snapdragons (Misopates orontium) are an annual plant. They have pink flowers, or very rarely, white. Also know as Antirrhinum orontium, and by the common name Linearleaf Snapdragon.

Northern Dragonhead

Northern Dragonhead (Dracocephalum ruyschiana) is a perrenial found in open woods or dry grassland. It has blue and violet (and occassionally white) flowers. Other names include blue dragonhead.

Snapdragon

Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus) come from the mediterranean. The flowers of wild forms can be pink, purple, yellow, or a bicolour combination.