A question regarding purple wood.

[RealDogBoy]

I've never seen wood this color. It really is purple. The color is more striking in person than in this photo (taken just after the wood was split).

The tree in question has been dead for a long time -- in February of '09 when I got the place the tree looked quite dead. There is no bark or leaves.

Does anybody know what kind of tree this is? I'm curious since the color is so odd.

 

[johnrex62]

I have cedar trees with purple heartwood, and I have seen Mesquite wood with different colored heartwood which sometimes is purpleish, although usually much more red than purple.

 

[johnrex62]

I have cedar trees with purple heartwood, and I have seen Mesquite wood with different colored heartwood which sometimes is purpleish, although usually much more red than purple.

There is also a species of tree in the Leguminosae family that has a deep purple heart. It is native to Central and South America, but I guess you might find some transported north. Purpleheart Wood: Why it is a great wood to use for..

 

[chipsndust]

I've never seen wood this color. It really is purple. The color is more striking in person than in this photo (taken just after the wood was split).

The tree in question has been dead for a long time -- in February of '09 when I got the place the tree looked quite dead. There is no bark or leaves.

Does anybody know what kind of tree this is? I'm curious since the color is so odd.

Box Elder, aka Ashleaf Maple, aka Manitoba Maple

Acer Negundo

 

[NSBound]

Could also be Black Walnut. I cut one down and it had that but it was slightly more brown than purple, but with purple in it.

This quote from an article on black walnut : "The sapwood is creamy white and may be three inches wide. Heartwood is a rich chocolate or purplish brown in colour, with a dull sheen. Black walnut is normally straight grained and is noted for its beautiful grain character, producing more figure variation than any other wood. Over the years the wood develops a lustrous patina. It is the only dark brown domestic species, so it has a large following of devoted woodworkers, that enjoy its rich colour and ease of use."

 

[jimmyj]

Smurfwood?

 

[bp fick]

Looks like it's ready to go for making fire retardant plywood.

 

[smstonypoint]

The grain sure looks like cedar to me. Is there a cedar smell?

Steve

 

[ToadHill]

Looks a lot like Yew to me. I've cut down a lot of large Taxus bushes and the wood looks just like that. Taxus is the shrub form of the Yew tree.

 

[jbford]

you are south US so it is Eastern Red Cedar!!!!
Juniperus virginiana

 

[westbrooklawn]

Looks just like cedar to me... smell it and you can tell for sure if it is cedar

 

[rekees4300]

ditto ... Cedar

 

[RealDogBoy]

Thanks for all the replies. Walnut is a heavy, dense wood and this is lighter -- consistent with cedar. I didn't think to smell it -- I'll do that this weekend. I'm in Atlanta and the wood is in Cleburne County, AL.

Here's a picture of the outside -- note that the bark is long gone.

 

[BruceWard]

Looks like cedar

 

[smstonypoint]

Here's a picture of the outside -- note that the bark is long gone.

Not really. That's what cedar bark looks like. *

Steve

* Edit -- at least Eastern red cedar.

 

[chipsndust]

Thanks for all the replies. Walnut is a heavy, dense wood and this is lighter -- consistent with cedar. I didn't think to smell it -- I'll do that this weekend. I'm in Atlanta and the wood is in Cleburne County, AL.

Here's a picture of the outside -- note that the bark is long gone.

Now that I see the bark,I agree that it is eastern redcedar. (Not box elder)

 

[grnspot110]

Red Cedar & that is the bark!

 

[weldingisfun]

Cedar, for certain.

 

[westbrooklawn]

You can peel the bark off cedar, roll it between your hands, and you are left with a fuzzy fabric like fiber. A ball of this material is great for starting a campfire, even in wet conditions...

 

[RealDogBoy]

I think we all know by now it's cedar but I did smell it to confirm and it is distinctly cedar.

I'm still a little puzzled about the purple color. I remember cedar as either red or reddish-brown. I cut up a cedar tree for one of my neighbors in Atlanta a few years ago and I think I'd remember if the interior of the wood was a really strange color like this wood.

I took another picture: on the left is newly-split cedar; the one on the right was split exactly a week before.