Dragon's Blood Tree

trees · resin · tropical · dramatic names

Bleeding red resin. When these trees are cut or wounded, they ooze a thick, crimson-colored resin that genuinely looks like blood. This strange red liquid is how they got their fearsome dragon's blood name.

Trees from many places. Dragon's blood trees grow in different parts of the world. Some live on the Canary Islands, some in Southeast Asia, some on the island of Socotra near Yemen, and some across Africa from South Africa to Sudan.

Used as dye and medicine. For thousands of years, people have harvested the red resin from these trees to use as a dye for painting and cloth, and also in traditional medicines and varnishes.

Weird umbrella shapes. One famous dragon's blood tree, the Socotra dragon's blood tree (Dracaena cinnabari), has an unusual shape like an umbrella or mushroom, making it look almost alien.