Sangre de Drago is a native South American tree of small to medium size, trunk with thin grayish-brown bark that exudes a reddish latex when wounded. It has light green foliage with simple, heart-shaped, alternate, smooth-edged leaves that can be more than 10 cm long. The flowers are whitish, in spikes. The latex that it sweats has applications in folk medicine for the treatment of wounds and skin ulcers. Dragon's blood is a very popular medicine in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia that can be found in markets, craft fairs and health food stores.