Wood Atlas - Xylarium
Desert Ironwood Burl
lat. Olneya tesota
Ironwood Burr
The desert ironwood (Olneya tesota) is probably the hardest and heaviest timber worldwide. Since its density is much greater than that of water, it does not float but sinks immediately. It is found only in the Sonoran Desert in northern Mexico, southern California, and southwestern Arizona. Desert ironwood trees grow very slowly and can readily reach up to 1500 years of age. They can reach up to 35 feet tall with trunks about 2 feet across. Due to the hot and dry climate, they are experts at water-conservation, but also extremely sensitive to frost.
The wood is much loved by knife makers not just for its extreme hardness, but also because of its beauty. The burl variant is another much sought-after product without parallel.
Find the right wood by appearance!
Our wood atlas makes it significantly easier to find the right wood for your projects.
But, as you know, wood is a natural product and what us shown here is only
a sample and the actual piece may vary in color and pattern.
Tip: Use the left and right arrows to navigate; to select the wood currently show, click on the link below the image. The wood atlas is by no means exhaustive and is constantly being expanded. But, on the whole, almost all the woods we have in stock are shown.