DRAGON’S BLOOD TREE OF SOCOTRA. 621 
miles of country near Suakim, and he gives a representation of the tree in one 
of the woodcut illustrations of his travels.* The leaf specimens sent by him to 
Kew with Kotscuy and Pryritscu’s description and figure were not sufficient to 
permit Mr Baker, in his revision of “‘ Asparagez,”t to take up the species, and 
of it he merely remarks, under the species D. Draco, “e montibus Indie et 
verisimiliter Socotre insule incola ex datis notis non potui segregare.” But 
recently Dr ScHWEINFURTH has sent to Kew a portion of the panicle of this 
tree, which enables me to form a more decided opinion regarding it, and shows 
that the Nubian plant is a distinct species. Fruits are still wanted, and of the 
resin I have seen no account, nor have I succeeded in obtaining any of it. 
In 1877 Hitpesranpr found on the hills of Somali Land a tree attaining a 
height of 24 feet, and known to the inhabitants as ‘“ moli,” which is said to 
supply a dragon’s blood resin. It is a Draceena, and specimens sent to Kew, 
though imperfect, there being only portions of flower panicles, showing specific 
differences from others before known, Mr Baker described itt as D. 
Schizantha. Regarding it we have as yet but little information, and of its resin 
nothing is known. , 
Our expedition in the spring of 1880 to Socotra has cleared up all doubts 
as to the source and character of the dragon’s blood of that island. As I have 
_ noted above, the tree has been previously supposed to be identical with the 
Nubian plant. But though very nearly allied to it, there are differences 
between them which have led me to regard the Socotran plant as distinct 
from it. 
On Socotra, the dragon’s blood tree to which I, for obvious reasons, have 
given the name Dracena Cinnabari, forms a small tree, attaining sometimes a 
height of about 30 feet. The trunk reaches considerable dimensions. One I 
measured on the Haghier hills, near the Adona Pass, at an elevation of 4000 
feet, was 5 feet 3 inches in circumference at 3 feet from the ground ; another 
near it was 6 feet 5 inches at 2 feet ; whilst at Hombhill, near the eastern end of 
the island, I found one at an elevation of 1100 feet, which had a circumference of 
9 feet at 3 feet from the ground, and a spread of branches. 29 feet 6 inches in 
diameter. The tree grows only on the higher regions of the island. Nowhere did 
we see it below 1000 feet elevation. It grows frequently in small groves, and the 
- trees branch freely and form when well grown a dome-shaped crown, exhibiting 
the feature so characteristic of screw pines. There is but one species on 
the island. It has been hinted that there are two. Hunrers records that 
the inhabitants recognise two distinct forms, which they speak of as being of 
* 
Heart of Africa, Eng. trans., i. p. 22. 
+ In Jour. Linn. Soc. Lond., xiv. (1875), p. 527. 
t In Trim. Jou, Bot., vi. (1877), p. 71. 
§ Manuscript Journal of a Visit to Socotra in 1876. 
