Grass Tree

NaturalWOODS & MOSSESgreen · woody · earthy

BasePyramid

3/5Strength

24hTenacity

1Origins

Specimen

Xanthorrhoea

Definition

Dark Australian resin, smoky-balsamic, ancient. Grass tree (Xanthorrhoea) exudes a blood-red resin that smells like smouldering bush -- phenolic, warm, with a honied sweetness under the smoke.

WOODY GREEN EARTHY SWEET WARM FRESH RESINOUS

Black Boy, Balga

Type: Ingredient
Olfactive family: Woods
Subfamily: Earthy woods
Cluster: Earthy woods
Source: wood
Chemical class: complex natural

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

3/5Strength

Medium

odour strength

Tenacity on blotter

24hours

1 h6 h24 h3 d7 d400 h

Producing countries

Australia

Scent

Smoky, dark-balsamic, with honey-sweet warmth underneath phenolic smoke. More phenolic than benzoin, less tarry than birch tar, with a particular bushfire quality. The sweetness is not sugary but honied-resinous. The overall impression is ancient, dry, and burned -- like a hollow trunk still smouldering after a grass fire.

In PREMIEREPEAU

DISCOVERY SET7 × 2 ml →EXTRAIT DE PARFUMThe seven extraits →

The Full Story

Grass tree refers to Xanthorrhoea species -- slow-growing monocots endemic to Australia, not true trees or grasses. They produce a dark-red resin from their trunk base, historically used by Aboriginal Australians as an adhesive and by early European settlers as a varnish component. The resin has a warm, smoky-balsamic, phenolic aroma.

The resin's volatile profile includes cinnamic acid derivatives, benzoic acid, styrene, and various phenolic compounds that give it a dark, smoky-sweet character similar to of benzoin crossed with birch tar. Some sources describe notes of toffee, honey, and smoked wood. The resin has been compared to dragon's blood resin but with a distinctly Australian, bushfire-adjacent character.

In perfumery, grass tree resin is a rare, niche base-note material providing uniquely Australian smoky-balsamic depth. It is not widely available in mainstream supply chains but appears in Australian artisanal perfumery.

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Related: Alder · Alpha Humulene · Amaranth · Amberever · Amburana Bark · Antillone · Apple Tree

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

The dark-red resin is collected from the trunk base of Xanthorrhoea species, either naturally exuded or harvested after fire damage. Solvent extraction yields a resinoid. No steam-distilled essential oil is standard. The material is primarily available through Australian specialty suppliers.

Formula: Complex resinoid; key compounds: benzoic acid (C₇H₆O₂), cinnamic acid (C₉H₈O₂)
CAS: 93164-80-8
Botanical: Xanthorrhoea
Appearance: dark amber to brown viscous liquid or solid resin
Odour strength: Medium
Lasting power: 24+ hours
Synonyms: Black Boy, Balga

IFRA status

See note

No IFRA Standard for the material itself (51st Amendment)

In Perfumery

Grass tree (Xanthorrhoea) resin is a rare, niche base-note material providing uniquely Australian smoky-balsamic depth. Its phenolic-cinnamic profile sits between benzoin and birch tar. The note provides bushfire-adjacent warmth in artisanal, Australian-terroir, and smoky-resinous compositions. Limited commercial availability.

Role in the formula

01fixative

02modifier

03backbone

04signature note

05blender

06naturalizer

Available as

resinoid standard form