Asparagaceae FAMILY Endangered

Dracaena ombet

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

1/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Dracaena ombet is an evergreen tree with a thick, forked bole and a semi-globose crown; it can grow up to 9 metres tall. The leaves are around 0cm long and 3cm wide, usually crowded and often restricted to the branch tips[ 1860 Title Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants; Monocotyledons (Second Edition) Publication Author Eggli U. & Nyffeler R. (Editors) Publisher Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020 Year 2020 ISBN 978-3-662-56484-4 Description ]. The tree is harvested from the wild for its edible fruit, which is used locally. It is also the source of a resin that is used in traditional medicine. A once widespread and abundant species, overgrazing, overcutting, droughts and possibly attack by parasitic pests or disease have contributed to a serious decline in population numbers. The tree is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(1998)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeNortheast tropical Africa - Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia; to Saudi Arabia.

HabitatMountains in the desert[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ]. Open Olea europaea forest on limestone, and in semi-desert grassland with scattered Acacia scrub[ 1860 Title Illustrated Handbook of Succulent Plants; Monocotyledons (Second Edition) Publication Author Eggli U. & Nyffeler R. (Editors) Publisher Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020 Year 2020 ISBN 978-3-662-56484-4 Description ].