Video: Cutting a Bloodwood Tree Can Be Disturbing

Have you ever heard of bloodwood trees? There’s two main variants: the “standard” bloodwood tree in southern Africa and the desert bloodwood in Australia. Both trees share the remarkable trait of having dark, free-flowing red sap. Bloodwood trees are often used in folk medicine for treating a variety of illnesses, but in modern times, they prized for the high-quality furniture that can be made from them.

Specifically with the African variety, bloodwood offers robust, non-shrinking wood that is perfect for building canoes or musical instruments. Bloodwood is also usually fire-resistant.

Actually cutting into one however, can be disturbing to those unused to the sight of red sap gushing from the tree. Not surprisingly, some cultures have ascribed magical powers to the tree’s sap. We’re not so sure about that, but seeing one of these oozing in your woods can be the stuff of nightmares.

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