Can you believe that a tree bleeds? But it does happen naturally and the dragon tree is an iconic tree that is native to the Socotra archipelago, which is the part of Yemen in the Arabian Sea. It is due to the presence of red resin, the tree gets its name from. We do know that our earth is home to many beautiful, exotic and unusual plant species too.
The tree is otherwise known as Dracaena Cinnabari and also naturally known as “Socotra Island Dragon Blood Tree”. Not only the appearance of the tree makes it unusual but also the release of a red sap or resin which is known as dragon blood also makes it totally one of the unusual trees on the planet.
The famous red resin that gives it its name is exuded from the bark after wounding. The dragon blood tree is an evergreen tree that can live up to 650 years and reaches heights of around 10 to 12 meters (33 to 39 feet). The tree grows slowly, about one meter (3 feet) every ten years.
The dragon blood tree has a unique as well as a weird appearance that looks like that of the umbrella with leaves that measures up to 60 cm long and 3 cm wide. The leaves of the trees appear just on the closures of the youngest branches and the tree flowers around February as well as spread little bunches of fragrant. The fruit of the tree takes almost five months to develop completely.
Historically, it is believed that the first dragon blood tree was said to be created from the blood of a dragon that was wounded when it fought with an elephant and also has other legendary statements too. Since then, this tree is believed to secrete the blood when it is injured.
Do trees feel pain? The simple answer is that, no one is sure whether plants can feel pain. We do know that they can feel sensations. … But plants don’t have that ability - nor do they have nervous systems or brains - so they may have no biological need to feel pain.
The very first description of the dragon blood tree was made by Lieutenant Wellsted of the East India Company in 1835. Earlier, the released resin was believed to have magical and medicinal properties as well. People also used the pigment for art, as a dye and medicine and still used for these amazing purposes today.
While the locals used the resins for a cure-all, Greeks, Romans, and Arabs use it for solution for looseness of the bowels, for diarrhea maladies, for curing fevers and it also assists in treating ulcers in the mouth, throat, digestion tracts and stomach. People from different countries use it in different ways according to their needs.
So, this bleeding blood can shock people but it is one damn unusual plant of the planet. We highly must protect the flora of the world as these wonderingly weird plants are something that has been uniquely created in this world.
