Does creosote come from the creosote bush? Or is it a petroleum or coal derivative? At the campfire on John Hellman's recent climb of Brown Peak there was a spirited discussion of the source of creosote, with some persons advocating each point of view. I was curious enough to look into these questions when I got home.
Philip A. Munz, in California Desert Wildflowers, states that "The most conspicuous shrub on the desert is Creosote Bush or Greasewood (Larrea divarioata), with its waxy olive-green leaves, each of which consists of a pair of leaflets, and with its yellow flowers having five petals partly twisted like the vanes of' a windmill. The fruit is globose, white-hairy, and separates at maturity into five one-seeded parts. An open shrub, from three to twelve feet tall, Creosote Bush is the dominant plant over vast areas, ascending to about 5000 feet and ranging from coastal slopes in western Riverside County through the deserts to Utah, Texas, and Mexico. Flowering is in April and May. It is quite resinous and gives off a penetrating odor especially after rain. . . . Because of its strong flavor and resinous sap it is not browsed on as much as are many desert shrubs." Interesting, but does creosote come from the creosote bush?
The New Columbia Encyclopedia states that creosote is "obtained by the distillation of coal tar or wood tar. Creosote derived from beechwood tar has been used medicinally as an antiseptic and in the treatment of chronic bronchitis. Creosote obtained from coal tar is poisonous. It is used chiefly as a preservative for wood, e.g., in fence posts, railroad ties, and telephone poles; it provides protection against fungi, shipworms, and termites."
The sticky resin obtained from the creosote bush is called sonora gum, not creosote.
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