Bushman Candle

A 1909 account describes the thick cuticle of two Sarcocaulon species as rich in hydrocarbons. The bark of Sarcocaulon rigidum is formed of layers of corky tissue impregnated with a mixture of fat, wax and resin. Monsonia patersonii has a thick, waxy bark that protects it from sand storms, and this bark burns quite easily, with a lot of smoke.

The genus Sarcocaulon has a native range from Angola to Southern Africa. Monsonia patersonii grows in Namibia and in South Africa, in the Northern Cape Province and the coastal zone of the Richtersveld. It is a spiny, succulent shrub or shrublet up to 0.5 m tall. Sarcocaulon crassicaule is a shrublet up to 30 cm tall that grows from the winter rainfall area of western South Africa to Namibia.

Sarcocaulon rigidum is a synonym of Monsonia patersonii. Monsonia is a genus of the Geraniaceae with approximately 40 species, distributed in Africa, Western Asia and East India. It is named after Lady Anne Monson (1714-76), who had botanical knowledge and collected plants in the Cape.

The resinoid called Bushman's candle comes from Sarcocaulon mossamedense from Namibia.

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Related: Amberwood · Andiroba · Bakhoor · Balsamic Notes · Benzoin Resinoid · Benzyl Benzoate · Benzyl Salicylate · Birch Tar