There are more interesting facts about Dragon Tree which can be found in Animals & Plants from San Diego Zoo website. Canary Islands dragon tree is native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, western Morocco, and possibly introduced into the Azores. The dragon’s blood name comes from the fact that when the bark or leaves are cut they secrete a reddish resin. Dragon’s blood has a number of traditional medical uses. Dragon’s blood also has been used as a wood stain, as a hair color, and even as a fluid for embalming or mummification. Leaves of the dragon tree were harvested for hundreds of years to provide fiber that was woven into rope.
關於龍血樹的更多有趣的資料，可以從聖地亞哥動物園網站的動植物中找到。龍血樹原產於加那利群島、佛得角、馬德拉群島、摩洛哥西部，可能還引進亞速爾群島。龍血樹名來自於即當樹皮或樹葉被切開時，它們會分泌一種微紅色的樹脂。從龍血樹的木質部提取出來的血為名貴中藥材，深紅色。具有活血祛瘀、消腫止痛、收斂止血之效。龍血也被用作木材染色劑，染髮劑，甚至用在防腐或木乃伊上。龍血樹的葉子被當成編織繩索的材料已數百年了。
Notes 筆記
- Canary Islands dragon tree is native to the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Madeira, western Morocco, and possibly introduced into the Azores. The dragon’s blood name comes from the fact that when the bark or leaves are cut they secrete a reddish resin.
- It’s a hardy tree and can live for hundreds of years.
- Being a monocotyledon, it does not display any annual or growth rings so the age of the tree can only be estimated by the number of branching points before reaching the canopy.
- Dragon’s blood (the tree’s red resin) has been used as a wood stain (particularly for violins), as a hair color, and even as a fluid for embalming or mummification. In fact, RMS Titanic was carrying 76 cases of dragon’s blood, shipped for Brown Brothers and Company, when the ship sank in 1912.
- Dragon’s blood has a number of traditional medical uses.
- Leaves of the dragon tree were harvested for hundreds of years to provide fiber that was woven into rope.
- 龍血樹原產於加那利群島、佛得角、馬德拉群島、摩洛哥西部，可能還引進亞速爾群島。龍血樹名來自於即當樹皮或樹葉被切開時，它們會分泌一種微紅色的樹脂。
- 它們是很強壯的樹，可以活數百年。
- 作為單子葉植物，它沒有年輪，因此只能透過到達樹冠之前的分支點數來估計樹的年齡。
- 龍血（樹上的紅色樹脂）已被用作木材染色劑（尤其是用於小提琴），染髮劑，甚至用在防腐或木乃伊上。 實際上，泰坦尼克號於1912年沈沒時，船上載有幫布朗兄弟公司運送的76箱龍血。
- 從龍血樹的木質部提取出來的血為名貴中藥材，深紅色。具有活血祛瘀、消腫止痛、收斂止血之效。
- 龍血樹的葉子被當成編織繩索的材料已數百年了。
References 參考資料
- Wikipedia: Dracaena draco
Plants Posts 植物的帖子