Wood Atlas - Xylarium

Black Palmwood

lat. Caryota spp.

Black Palmwood



Fishtail Palm (Caryota urens) Black palmwood (Caryota urens) is the wood of the caryota tree, also known as the fishtail palm due to the shape of its leaves. The caryota is native to the southern hemisphere from South Asia to the South-West Pacific.
Although it has a unique and very beautiful appearance, the wood is a bit difficult to work because it combines two very different hardness properties. The black "needles" are extremely hard and dense, while the "meat" in-between is rather soft. Working with this wood therefore always requires sharp tools. The appearance of the wood when cut laterally is particularly spectacular and unique. Only the outer part of the trunk can be used as the core is extremely soft, often even putrid.


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