The bloodwood tree (Pterocarpus angolensis) is a deciduous tree with a high canopy, reaching about 15m in height and has dark bark. The red sap is used traditionally as a dye and in some areas mixed with animal fat to make a cosmetic for faces and bodies. It is also believed to have magical properties for the curing of problems concerning blood, apparently because of its close resemblance to blood. The name bloodwood for these trees stems from the dark red to brown sap that accumulates on wounds on the trunks.

Arsenal football supporters cheering from the train carriage window as they leave Euston Station, London, on their way to Birmingham for their team's match against Aston Villa which they lost 3-5. (Photo by Douglas Miller/Topical Press Agency/Getty Images). 19th November 1932

The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) has announced the winning images in its annual photography competition. The 2020 winners show the important work of zoos and aquariums at an immensely challenging time. After months of closures, these conservation organisations are reeling from the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Here: Runner-up, Heart and Minds: Nifty nose, by Samantha Allworthy at Longleat. Species: prehensile tailed porcupines. (Photo by Samantha Allworthy/BIAZA 2020 Photography Competition)

Women's Sabre Gold medalist Olga Kharlan (L) and bronze medalist in the Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling Zhan Beleniuk (R) react as they arrive at the railway station in Kyiv, Ukraine, 13 August 2024. Ukrainians meet and greet the members of National Olympic team as they return from Olympic Games 2024 in Paris amid the ongoing Russian invasion. (Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA/EFE)

A married Hindu woman performs rituals around a banyan tree at Vat Savitri festival in Ahmedabad, India, Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Vat Savitri is celebrated on a full moon day where women pray for the longevity of their husbands. (Photo by Ajit Solanki/AP Photo)

A giant Santa Claus, created and worn by local artist Ed Terrell, 66, walks home with his son and assistant, Rupanuga, 18, following a ceremony to decorate a scraggly Christmas tree with a single red Bulb in Reading, Pennsylvania, December 7, 2014. A ceremony to decorate the scraggly Christmas tree in Reading, Pennsylvania with a single red bulb, much like Charlie Brown's tree in the animated holiday classic, was postponed to Sunday from Saturday because of rain and cold temperatures, officials said. Officials decided to hold a re-dedication ceremony, which will include a Spanish and English reading from the movie's screenplay, and decorate it with a single red bulb, as in the 1965 animated television special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. (Photo by Mark Makela/Reuters)

Fred Fugen seen training for a jump over Austria on May 12, 2014. Fearless skydivers jump from an altitude of 10,000 meters above the largest mountain in Europe. Frederic Fugen, 34, and Vincent Reffet, 29, leapt from a plane in the freezing skies above Mont-Blanc in the French Alps. The jump is from such a height the pictures show the curvature of the earth. (Photo by Dominique Daher/Barcroft Media)