Santa Barbara is dragon tree country. When Santa Barbara Beautiful made the species its Tree of the Month in 2022, it named the two largest in California, both from the late 1800s and both behind private walls. This is one you can walk up to. The group lists West Alameda Park, on its Santa Barbara Street side, among the places in town with mature dragon trees, and visitors have photographed one here every year or two since 2020, most recently in April 2026. The dragon tree comes from the Canary Islands and grows very slowly, forking only once in many years, so a thick trunk and an umbrella crown of stiff, sword-shaped leaves are what age looks like in this species. Nobody has published a planting date or a measurement for this one, so we cannot tell you how old it is. The photographs taken in the park spread over about forty metres, and there may be more than one dragon tree here. If you know which is the oldest, or when it was planted, tell us. The park is free and open daily, about ten minutes on foot from State Street and a short walk from the five lemon-scented gums at the Central Library.
From people who stood here
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Getting there
West Alameda Park, Santa Barbara Street side, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
A thick-trunked dragon tree with an umbrella crown of stiff, sword-shaped leaves in the park near the Santa Barbara Street edge.
Santa Barbara Street, about 10 min walk from State Street downtown; MTD buses nearby
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from. The story was written with AI from these sources, and readers who know the tree correct it.
