Volume 213, May 2015, Pages 1–5
Morpho-anatomical basis of dragon’s blood secretion in Dracaena draco stem
Highlights
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- We report on the anatomical status of the tissues responsible for dragon’s blood secretion.
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- Secretory tissues differ in terms of location and morphology.
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- Red resin is produced by cells within the primary and secondary plant body.
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- Cortex cells with polyphenols and ground parenchyma cells are the sources of dragon’s blood.
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- We hypothesize that the depth of stem wounding affects resin sourcing.
Abstract
The monocot tree Dracaena draco
L. is famous for the production of a red resin referred to as dragon’s
blood. This resin has been used in traditional medicine since ancient
times by many cultures. Dragon’s blood chemistry is well described,
however, the data concerning its secretion and distribution following
injury is still fragmentary, although it can help in resin sourcing. The
goal of the study was to characterize for the first time the anatomical
status of the secretory tissue responsible for the red resin production
and storage. The study was carried out with hand sections and thin
sections of an Epon-embedded samples collected from the cut and wounded
stem of a 5-year-old D. draco plants.
The
two tissues responsible for the red resin secretion differ in terms of
location and morphology. These are (a) the groups of ground parenchyma
cells of both primary and secondary origin, and (b) the cells of cortex
containing polyphenolic-like inclusions. Following wounding of the stem,
parenchyma cells secrete the resin and form a barrier zone that
isolates the injured tissues. The depth of wounding influences resin
sourcing.
Keywords
- Dragon’s blood;
- Dracaena draco;
- Wounding;
- Secretion;
- Ground parenchyma;
- Cortex
- Corresponding author. Tel.:
+48 609107070; fax: +48 22 757 66 45.
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