| Flame Box Elder 6 inches diameter X 2 3/4 inches high This wood is a maple species and is related to the elder tree only in that they are both wood. It is called "box elder" because of the similarity of the white sapwood to boxwood (thus the "box") and the similarity of the tree's leaves to those of the elder tree (thus the "elder"). A really excellent example (as though one were needed) of the way that common names are often derived in ways that make them totally misleading. "Flame" (or "flamed", or sometimes "candy", or sometimes "red") box elder refers to the wood after it has been affected by a process that has been the subject of both some scholarly investigation and some debate. The end result of the process, whatever the true cause, is that the wood turns red, sometimes VERY red, in areas that can be quite extensive throughout the tree. The process is described variously as one or the other or both of two separate possible causes. The first cause is any form of stress, such as a bug attack, wire wrapped around a tree, something (a fence post or another tree) pushing up against the tree, or long-term bending stress caused by wind or heavy snow. The second cause is a fungus, brought into the tree by a bug attack. No matter the cause of the "flame" this is a highly prized and sought after wood for turners and wood workers alike. Item Nr: 10-780 $30.00 |
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