''Bulnesia sarmientoi'' (recently reclassified as ''Gonopterodendron sarmientoi'') is a tree that inhabits a part of the

Gran Chaco The Gran Chaco or Dry Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semiarid lowland natural region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Gro ...

area in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, around the

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

border. Its wood is often traded as "Paraguay ''lignum vitae''", since it has properties and uses similar to the "true" ''

lignum vitae Lignum vitae () is a wood, also called guayacan or guaiacum, and in parts of Europe known as Pockholz or pokhout, from trees of the genus ''Guaiacum''. The trees are indigenous to the Caribbean and the northern coast of South America (e.g: Col ...

'' trees of genus ''

Guaiacum ''Guaiacum'' (''OED'' 2nd edition, 1989.Entry "guaiacum"
in
verawood ''Bulnesia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the caltrop family, Zygophyllaceae. The wood of some – particularly '' B. arborea'' and '' B. sarmientoi'' – is traded as verawood (colloquially "vera") or ''"lignum vitae"''. They are cl ...

", which may also refer to the even more closely related '' B. arborea''. Another common but rather ambiguous name is ''palo santo'' (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: "holy stick"), which it shares with the species ''

Bursera graveolens ''Bursera graveolens'', known in Spanish as ("Holy Stick”), is a wild tree native from the Yucatán Peninsula to Peru and Venezuela. ''Bursera'' ''graveolens'' is found in the seasonally dry tropical forests of Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecu ...

''. ''Bulnesia sarmientoi''

heartwood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin tha ...

is brown, black, and green (varying in color from light olive green to chocolate brown), with streaks. The sapwood is mostly thin and light yellow. The basic

specific gravity Relative density, or specific gravity, is the ratio of the density (mass of a unit volume) of a substance to the density of a given reference material. Specific gravity for liquids is nearly always measured with respect to water (molecule), wa ...

of this wood is between 0.92 and 1.1 g/cm³.

Conservation

''Bulnesia sarmientoi'' was listed as

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

in the 2018 publication of the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

, due to the

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. The most concentrated d ...

and a strong global demand for its wood, extracts, and

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the o ...

s since 2001. IUCN estimates indicate that over three generations the global population will decline by around 50%. Previously, it was listed as lower risk/conservation dependent in the 1998 publication of the IUCN Red List. It has been listed in Appendix II of

CITES CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

since 2010.

Uses

Palo santo is employed for

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a Burin (engraving), burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or Glass engraving, glass ...

work and for the making of durable wooden posts. From its wood, also, a type of oil known as

oil of guaiac Oil of guaiac is a fragrance ingredient used in soap and perfumery. Despite its name it does not come from the ''Guaiacum'' tree, but from the palo santo tree (''Bulnesia sarmientoi''). Oil of guaiac is produced through steam distillation of a mix ...

(or ''guayacol'') is produced, to be used as an ingredient for soaps and

perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...

s. Its

resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on natu ...

can be obtained by means of organic

solvent A solvent (s) (from the Latin '' solvō'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas, or a supercritical fluid. Water is a solvent for ...

s, and is employed to make

varnish Varnish is a clear transparent hard protective coating or film. It is not a stain. It usually has a yellowish shade from the manufacturing process and materials used, but it may also be pigmented as desired, and is sold commercially in various ...

es and dark paints. Palo santo wood has also been used in indigenous medicine in South America. In northwest Argentina, the

Criollo people In Hispanic America, criollo () is a term used originally to describe people of Spanish descent born in the colonies. In different Latin American countries the word has come to have different meanings, sometimes referring to the local-born majo ...

burned the wood of Aura palo santo together with the leaves of ''

Ruta chalepensis file:Ruta chalepensis Dried fruits Tigray Region Ethiopia.jpg, Dried fruits. ''Ruta chalepensis'' is a species of flowering plant in the Rutaceae family known by the common name fringed rue. It is native to Eurasia and North Africa. It has been fou ...

''. The resulting smoke was blown into the ears of patients with

otitis Otitis is a general term for inflammation or infection, inner ear infection, middle ear infection of the ear, in both humans and other animals. When infection is present, it may be viral or bacterial. When inflammation is present due to fluid buil ...

. Palo santo is appreciated for the

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...

-healing properties of its essence and also because it provides good

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...

and a high-quality timber. It ignites easily despite being so dense, and produces a fragrant smoke. Natives of the Chaco region employ the bark to treat

stomach The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The stomach has a dilated structure and functions as a vital organ in the digestive system. The stomach i ...

problems. Small pieces of the wood are also used as a form of natural incense in spiritual rituals. Mate de madera - mate de Palo Santo (Bulnesia sarmientoi)

Mate de madera - mate de Palo Santo (Bulnesia sarmientoi)

American beer micro brewer

Dogfish Head Dogfish Head Brewery is a brewing company based in Milton, Delaware founded by Sam and Mariah Calagione and, as of 2019, owned by the Boston Beer Company. It opened in 1995 and produces 262,000 barrels of beer annually. Select brews (includ ...

regularly produces a beer called "Palo Santo Marron" that is aged in tanks made of palo santo wood.

Conservation

Uses

References

Further reading