Replies

1. 
   maple_geek | Feb 03, 2004 12:52am | #1

   Looks like walnut with a fair amount of sap wood (white).

   Eric

2. 
   Sphere | Feb 03, 2004 01:14am | #2

   Jon ain't guessin yet..so...pecan, or another of the hickories...is my best guess..Fla. has some odd stuff growin there. looks real hard. and heavy.

   Go Stab yourself Ya Putz! Ya think I Parked here?
3. 
   robkelly1 | Feb 03, 2004 02:43am | #3

   It's tupelo.

1. 
   PlaneWood | Feb 03, 2004 03:22am | #4

   http://eggtooth.homestead.com/AboutTupeloWood.html

   PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)PlaneWood

4. 
   jonsherryl | Feb 03, 2004 04:09am | #5

   Jim, I'd have to get up close to the endgrain on this one. My first impression is that it might be sweetgum; Liquidambar styraciflua. This species is slow to convert sapwood to heartwood and the heartwood often has a grayish brown cast. It's a moderately fine textured, diffuse-porous wood with a density comparable to cherry. If you have access to the site where it was cut, look around the ground for star shaped leaves and woody, spiked seed capsules. They look kind of like the head of a medieval war mace...Also, if there are any twigs left, are they sort of corky?

   As was mentioned earlier, black tupelo; Nyssa sylvatica, would be another strong possibility. Tupelo develops a grayish brown or grayish green heartwood. If you have access to some fresh twigs, they tend to be greenish yellow in color and smooth, turning reddish brown as they mature. The fruit is small, dark blue and fleshy, sort of like a miniature plum.

1. 
   Dale | Feb 03, 2004 07:55am | #6

   Jon,

   What about black willow??

1. 
   UncleDunc | Feb 03, 2004 08:02am | #7

   Does black willow grow that tall? I've seen willows with large diameter trunks, but never one anywhere near 80 feet tall.

1. 
   Dale | Feb 03, 2004 08:19am | #8

   One a decent site yes.  The orginal poster said a wet area, flood plain, swamp??

2. 
   jonsherryl | Feb 03, 2004 05:02pm | #9

   I doubt if it's black willow, not so much because of Jim's estimate of the height, but rather his comment on the density. Even sweetgum and tupelo aren't extremely dense woods, but when still saturated it's credible that they could be described as "hard" woods. Black willow, on the other hand, is an extremely soft wood. Its average specific gravity of only 0.36 falls midway between that of eastern white pine and ponderosa pine. Also, black willow normally has a warmer, more rusty brown or pinkish heartwood color...not to mention, this species isn't native to south central Florida. Its range peters out up in the panhandle. 

1. 
   Jimma | Feb 03, 2004 06:23pm | #10

   OK, so far the tupelo suggestion is the top contender and I thank everyone for taking a stab at identifying the sample. The guy who owns the property from which the tree was cut is going to rut around the ground and see what he can come up with. If he finds a nut, or if any well preserved leaves can be found, that will help, but he claims never to have noticed any nuts which would further suggest tupelo. New leaves are just beginning to bud, so it will be a while before another specimen can be analyzed for leaf characteristics. Meanwhile, there are about 6500 pounds of wet mystery wood being stacked to dry.

2. 
   Jimma | Feb 05, 2004 10:46pm | #11

   To Rob, Planewood, Jon and others who have an interest, we've pretty much decided the mystery wood is Nyssa aquatica, locally called water tupelo or one of a bunch of other common names. Presently the sawn tree is stickered under cover to air dry even though there's been plenty of warnings about the difficulty of doing this. One or two of the pieces are at least 24 inches across and nearly all light brown heartwood. This tree was a real specimen to start with, so all concerned have high hopes for a successful outcome. Thanks to all who contributed to the story. A progress report will be provided as appropriate....

3. 
   jonsherryl | Feb 05, 2004 11:16pm | #12

   Jim, The probability that it's a tupelo; genus Nyssa, makes a lot of sense...but if so, it's more likely that it's black tupelo; Nyssa sylvatica. The water tupelo; N. aquatica, isn't native to southern Florida...Not that this is a big issue. The two species differ in just a few knitty-gritty details that only a botanist would be interested in. The fruits and leaves of water tupelo are larger and, while black tupelo leaves have a smooth margin, water tupelo's leaves are usually toothed.

   Black tupelo is divided into two races: Nyssa sylvatica var. sylvatica and N. sylvatica var. biflora. While the former is normally an upland species, the later is often referred to as swamp tupelo and prefers wet soils. You probably have the latter.

4. 
   Jimma | Feb 05, 2004 11:45pm | #13

   Yes, Jon, I think you're right on. Scott did find some last-season leaves and said they looked more like live oak or water oak leaves. They have smooth margins. Plus, it's quite swampy at the site. I couldn't match up a schedule with the owner or I'd have taken some pictures. You're pretty good for a Canadian (almost).