This tree creates "dragon's blood" which is an ingredient in making Dit Da Jow.
- Dracaena draco is known as dragon tree because it was once believed that the red resin exuded by from the trunk and leaves was actually dragon's blood (see link below for folklore). The term is still used to refer to this sap, which has a variety of uses. Dragon tree is an ancient plant native to the Canary Islands where locals used the tree's resin for mumification and hair dye. It has modern applications as a pigment in the varnish and paper industries. The resin of this species is aromatic and is said to be much higher quality than that of other relatyed species of trees used for so-called dragon's blood. The aromatic resin is used to make the well-known dragon's blood incense. The sap also has several medicinal applications including that it is used to heal wounds.
- Growing Information: The seeds should be scattered on the surface of your potting mixture. Keep them damp and provide filtered sunlight at about 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Ficus Religiosa, literally meaning sacred fig, is an important Hindu and Buddhist symbol that grows in a wide part of south Asia, including both China andIndia. It is also known by several other names including the Bo tree, bodhi or peepal. Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, is believed to have been sitting under a sacred fig tree when he was enlightened to become the Buddha (bodhi). It also one of the oldest living species on earth with one specimen dating back to 288 b.c. It can reportedly reach heights of almost 100 feet with a trunk diameter of 9 feet and a large canopy above. Indoors it can be grown as a bonsai just like its cousin ficus benghalensis.
