Drago del Jardin de la Marquesa

This dragon tree is older than the palace it now decorates. When the Marqués Ramón Madan y Uriondo built his colonial palace between Arucas and Bañaderos in 1880, this drago was already standing, according to the Cabildo's catalogue of singular trees. The catalogue cannot quite settle on its age. Its figures say about 230 years, its text says about 250, both counted from the tree's 15 branchings, so somewhere between the two is the honest answer. It is 10 metres tall and 4.3 metres round at chest height, with a base 1.6 metres across and a crown spreading 14 metres. There are three dragon trees here, which matters if you want the right one. Two centenarian dragos stand at the garden entrance, and the catalogue says this one outclasses them both. Look for the largest of the three. The Jardín de la Marquesa, also called the Jardín de las Hespérides, has been open to the public since 1985. Check its current hours and entry fee before you go. It sits on the Vega road about 25 minutes by car from Las Palmas, with a bus from Arucas towards Bañaderos. The same catalogue lists a eucalyptus nearby known as the Árbol Bonito. If you have seen it, tell us where it stands.