The Dragon’s Blood Tree, also known as the Blood Dragon, is one of the world’s most peculiar plant species.
From afar, they resemble green umbrellas or giant mushroom clusters. The sap of the tree is bright red like blood and has a sour taste. When dried, it looks like transparent droplets.
Dragon’s Blood grows on Socotra Island, the largest island in the Indian Ocean.
It takes 10 years for the tree to reach a height of 1.2 meters, but then it develops relatively quickly. The lifespan of a Dragon’s Blood tree can reach up to 500 years.
The tree has a simple round trunk, with wide-spreading branches that twist and turn like enormous blood vessels. The long, narrow leaves are replaced every 3-4 years.
The Dragon’s Blood usually blooms in February every year, resembling small trumpet-shaped flowers, which are white or sometimes light green and emit a fragrant scent when in full bloom.
It takes 5 months for the fruit to mature and turn red.
Birds are attracted to the sweet, cool fragrance and juicy red of the fruit, which they consume and scatter the seeds widely.
The unique shape of the Dragon’s Blood is a clever evolutionary adaptation that allows the tree to survive in harsh, arid climates, where only a thin layer of soil covers the rocky mountainsides.
Each canopy of leaves provides shade, shielding the sun’s direct rays and reducing water evaporation for the young trees below.
Dragon’s Blood has been celebrated and mythologized by the islanders since ancient times.
They use it in their spiritual offerings and it has become an essential element in their religious ceremonies. The sap of the tree is used as a magical ingredient by local “witches” for spellcasting.
Dragon’s Blood is considered a panacea, capable of curing all diseases.
They use it to stop bleeding, heal wounds, treat diarrhea, sore throat, fever, as a toothpaste, and even as a dye for wool.
Since the 13th century, Dragon’s Blood has been exported to Italy where it is used to make varnish for musical instruments, bonding agents, repairing broken pottery, and as a candle wax.
Because of its vivid red color, Dragon’s Blood is also used in cosmetics for its beautifying properties and to create red lip color.”
