Red Mallee Burl from Australia

Red Mallee Burl from Australia by way of Canada and Carolina

Amazing piece 24 x 10 x 3 1/2

Close up of the grain......

A little more information, just because..... 

Mallees are the dominant vegetation throughout semi-arid areas of Australia with reliable winter rainfall. Within this area, they form extensive woodlands and shrublands covering over 250,000 square kilometres. Thus mallee woodlands and shrublands are considered one of Australia's Major Vegetation Groups

Red Mallee is a "scrubland vegetation" that is common in many parts of Australia and seems to have dozens of varieties. The trees are prolific producers of burl growths which can be harvest without cutting down the tree. Which is why you normally see Australian Burls in cap form. Among other things, it produces a useful oil.

Burl (British bur or burr) is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from dormant buds. Burls are the product of a cambium. A burl results from a tree undergoing some form of stress. It may be environmental or introduced by humans. Most burls grow beneath the ground, attached to the roots as a type of malignancy that is generally not discovered until the tree dies or falls over. Such burls sometimes appear as groups of bulbous protrusions connected by a system of rope-like roots. Almost all burl wood is covered by bark, even if it is underground. Insect infestation and certain types of mold infestation are the most common causes of this condition. Burls yield a very peculiar and highly figured wood, one prized for its beauty by many; its rarity also adds to its expense. It is sought after by people such as furniture makers, artists, and wood sculptors. There are a number of well-known types of burls (each from a particular species); these are highly valued and used as veneers in furniture, inlay in doors, picture frames, household objects, automobile interior paneling and trim, and woodturning. The famous birdseye maple superficially resembles the wood of a burl but is something else entirely. Burl wood can be very hard to work in a lathe or with hand tools because its grain is misshapen and not straight.

www.MadWoodTurnery.com