Orange Boxwood is quite hard to find around the area, the most accessible
specimens found at the foot of Lords Table mountain in dry rainforest
remnants - National Park so they're safe from me there at least! Found to
around 6 metres high with a rounded crown, the largest trunk I've seen was
around 200mm diameter.
The tree flowers from about August and forms masses of small yellow fruit
capsules.
The most distinguishing feature of Orange Boxwood is the inner surface of
the bark which is an amazingly bright orange. I've not seen this on any
other tree, even in other members of the maytenus genus. I don't know if the
common name came from the colour of the timber or the inner bark but I
believe it should be reserved for m.disperma simply because of the unique
inner bark.
Orange Boxwood timber is of medium weight with a fine, close grain and a fine but
visible medullary ray - just a little finer than maytenus cunninghamii which
is often called Orange Boxwood also.
The pictured specimen cracked quite
badly during initial drying but I suspect that may have been due to the very
wet season it was harvested after. I feel it would be more stable under
normal or drier conditions.
Orange Boxwood is a pleasure to turn and machine and it sands as easily as chalk.
It is a little thirsty on finishes but comes up very nicely without too
much trouble. The small items at left were turned green from tiny off-cuts
from the milling process because I just couldn't bear to waste a scrap. The
bowl was turned to just over 1mm thick and allowed to warp as it dried.
