But do you know why pine trees appear in the image of longevity? What does this young pine tree look like?
In fact, this young pine refers to a tree species called Dragon Blood Tree.
The growth period of Dracaena is very slow, just like the flat peach in Journey to the West. It takes hundreds of years to grow a tree, but it takes decades to see it blossom.
It is precisely because the number of Dracaena is small and its reproductive ability is not strong, so it is rare and precious, and it is more suitable as a spokesperson for Pinus tabulaeformis.
Yemeni socotra, located in the northwest of Indian Ocean, is the breeding ground of Dracaena.
Cautrat has a tropical desert climate, and it doesn't rain most of the year. However, the arid environment and isolation from the island by the sea did not make Dracaena lose its viability.
On the contrary, this extremely harsh living environment, in a sense, completely inspired the fighting spirit and wisdom of the dragon blood tree and created a magical way to survive.
The crown that looks like a giant umbrella evolved gradually from the struggle between the dragon's blood tree and nature, because in the environment of serious water shortage, it is possible to catch every drop of nature only by stretching "an umbrella" to the maximum extent. The high altitude, large daily temperature difference and morning fog in this area provide water for the growth of Dracaena macrophylla.
The spiny leaves of Dracaena are shaped like grooves, which can guide rainwater to flow to the roots along branches and trunks. Moreover, the leaves of Dracaena are like wax, which can reduce water loss and let rainwater flow to the roots quickly.
This plant has left almost no trace of evolution in the long years, so it won the title of "living fossil".
The dragon blood tree is magical not only because it can survive in harsh environment, but also because it can produce a crimson liquid (considered as "dragon blood"), which has high medicinal value.
Dragon's blood tree has long been known in China, and it is also called "Dragon's blood tree" or "Star Tree" in Hainan and Yunnan. As early as the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it was used in traditional Chinese medicine. The medicinal material extracted from the juice of Dragon's Blood is called "Qigong", and later it is called "Dragon's Blood", which is mainly used to stop bleeding and treat traumatic injuries.
According to Nan Yue Zhi, a local chronicle compiled by Shen Huaiyuan in the Southern Dynasty (Song Dynasty) during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, "Exhaustion is the fertilizer of purple trees. Want to test the authenticity, but chew like wax, is the best. Flowing from the wood, dripping like jelly, long and strong, tired and red. Hurry up. " , "purple tree" is the dragon blood tree. In Compendium of Materia Medica, Li Shizhen even praised it as a "holy medicine for promoting blood circulation".
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