I'm trying to identify this tree, and am asking for your help.

This photo was taking in the US Virgin Islands two weeks ago. The wood
is dense and heavy. It is light - sandy colored when cut, and then
turns an orange-ish red after oxidation. The buttressed stump brings
to mind cypress, but the leaves are oval shaped. If I recall
correctly, there are five or so leaves per stem, arranged in a
star-like shape.

A picture is he http://www.northwindknives.com/images/caneel/wood.jpg
and while the image just shows the stump, you can also see the leaves
from the suckers coming up next to it.

The groundskeeper where this was taken seemed to think it was a
screwpine, but from what I can tell of pictures on the Internet, it's
not even close.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-=Mark

The outline of the stump suggests it is not mahogany, also the amount of
sapwood. Cannot really see the leaves in this picture, but in mahogany they
are not "star" shaped (a more common term is umbrella-shaped).

What happens when you put some wood chips in (hot) water or alcohol?
PvR

TheCutter schreef
I'm trying to identify this tree, and am asking for your help.

This photo was taking in the US Virgin Islands two weeks ago. The wood
is dense and heavy. It is light - sandy colored when cut, and then
turns an orange-ish red after oxidation. The buttressed stump brings
to mind cypress, but the leaves are oval shaped. If I recall
correctly, there are five or so leaves per stem, arranged in a
star-like shape.

A picture is he http://www.northwindknives.com/images/caneel/wood.jpg
and while the image just shows the stump, you can also see the leaves
from the suckers coming up next to it.

The groundskeeper where this was taken seemed to think it was a
screwpine, but from what I can tell of pictures on the Internet, it's
not even close.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-=Mark

Thanks for the response!

Your message piqued my curiousity, and I had to try your experiment.

The results - in hot water, pieces of the wood float. No unusual color
change, or anything else noticable. The water was about 190 degrees F.

In room temperature 70% isopropyl alcohol - the wood sank like a
stone. No color change or other noticable changes / effects.

Now I'm wondering at all if the leaves were in an "umbrella-shaped"
pattern. I'm not certain.

The wood, having been sliced up into 1/2" boards, has dried very well.
No checking, or warping of any kind. I do notice that it's not
changing into the dark, rich color you see in the photo. Light
sensitive, perhaps? They were cut indoors, and have remained indoors
since.

Does that help?

Thanks again.

-=Mark


"P van Rijckevorsel" wrote in message ...
The outline of the stump suggests it is not mahogany, also the amount of
sapwood. Cannot really see the leaves in this picture, but in mahogany they
are not "star" shaped (a more common term is umbrella-shaped).

What happens when you put some wood chips in (hot) water or alcohol?
PvR

That is a pity, although the trees that would typically do that would have
smaller leaflets. Since all I can see is the outline of the stump and the
general size of leaflets I cannot really guess. If it is mahogany, a picture
of a flatsawn wood surface, planed, should tell something.
PvR

TheCutter schreef
Thanks for the response!

Your message piqued my curiousity, and I had to try your experiment.

The results - in hot water, pieces of the wood float. No unusual color
change, or anything else noticable. The water was about 190 degrees F.

In room temperature 70% isopropyl alcohol - the wood sank like a
stone. No color change or other noticable changes / effects.

Now I'm wondering at all if the leaves were in an "umbrella-shaped"
pattern. I'm not certain.

The wood, having been sliced up into 1/2" boards, has dried very well.
No checking, or warping of any kind. I do notice that it's not
changing into the dark, rich color you see in the photo. Light
sensitive, perhaps? They were cut indoors, and have remained indoors
since.

Does that help?

Thanks again.

-=Mark


"P van Rijckevorsel" wrote
The outline of the stump suggests it is not mahogany, also the amount of
sapwood. Cannot really see the leaves in this picture, but in mahogany
they are not "star" shaped (a more common term is umbrella-shaped).

What happens when you put some wood chips in (hot) water or alcohol?
PvR