Quick Facts
- Related Topics:
- varnish
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
dragon tree
Dragon tree (Dracaena draco).
Dragonās blood
resin
Also known as: Socotra resin
Dragonās blood, red resin obtained from the fruit of several palms of the genus Daemonorops and used in colouring varnishes and lacquers. Once valued as a medicine in Europe because of its astringent properties, dragonās blood now is used as a varnish for violins and in photoengraving for preventing undercutting of the printing surface during etching.
Dragon's blood treeDragon's blood tree (Dracaena cinnabari).
Daemonorops draco, a rattan palm native to Malaysia and Indonesia, produces much of the dragonās blood of commerce. Other sources are Dracaena cinnabari of the island of Socotra, east of Somalia; Dracaena draco of the Canary Islands; Croton draco of Mexico; and Croton lechleri of Peru and Ecuador, where it is used locally to heal wounds and as an astringent.
This article was most recently revised and updated by J.E. Luebering.
Discover how ordinary objects work, and expand your understanding of the familiar.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
By clicking "Sign Up", you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.