candle bush, noun phrase

Bushman’s candle.
1890 [see kersbos noun1].
1898 W.C. Scully Between Sun & Sand 115No matter how bright the fire of candle bushes, the scherm was lonely at night.
1906 B. Stoneman Plants & their Ways 276Plants are thorny and succulent, with underground storage systems. Acacia horrida (karroo thorn), Portulacaria afra (Spekboom), Sarcocaulon (Candlebush)..serve as examples.
1917 R. Marloth Dict. of Common Names of Plants 18Candle bush, Sarcocaulon Burmanni. A low spiny succulent of the arid regions (flowers white). Burns, even when fresh, like a torch.
1957 L.G. Green Beyond City Lights 173The duineveld is covered with reeds and taaibos shrubs, with the large candle-bushes standing alone like trees.
1966 E. Palmer Plains of Camdeboo 258The men cut long forked sticks, spiked on the fork a Candlebush which burns like paraffin, and..moved quickly from clump to clump, burning off the noors spines.
1971 M.R. Levyns in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. III. 17Candle-bush, Kersbos, Boesmankers. (Sarcocaulon burmanii.) Small, spiny shrub, much-branched...The old leaf-stalks become hard and spiny after the blade has withered. The bark is much compressed and wax-impregnated, so that when dry it is highly inflammable and will burn like a torch.
1991 S. Afr. Panorama Jan.–Feb. 39Descriptive flower-names are like music to the ear..candle bush, cat’s tail, desert rose and many more.
Entry Navigation

Visualise Quotations

Quotation summary

Senses

18981991

Browse Related Words

By Category

Bushes and Shrubs
Succulents
candelabra, nounn.candlewood, nounn.
Copyright © 2023 Dictionary Unit for South African English.