Dogwood

    (Eremophila bignoniiflora)

Also known as: Gooramurra, Creek Wilga, Bignonia Emubush

Dogwood is really an overworked name for a tree so I prefer the aboriginal name 'Gooramurra' - sounds a little more romantic. That said, there is a good reason for the name 'Dogwood' in this case and that is the smell produced when the leaves are crushed - smells just like dog piss (excuse the french!). The smell of the timber however is another story as I have just discovered.  Not only does it smell as good as it's cousin, 'False Sandalwood', but it is the most wildly coloured timber I have ever seen. It appears almost blue when cut and dries off to streaks of a lovely green.

  Dogwood appears to prefer the shelter of other trees in clay soils and around here that is the Brigalow scrub on blacksoil. It doesn't get very big but I have found a couple of specimens of about 300mm trunk diameter but more commonly at about 150mm.  Out in the open the tree rarely reaches more than 3 or 4 metres high but under the scrub canopy they will get to 6 or 7 metres.

Freshly cut log.

Small sawn slabs after drying.

Dogwood checks readily while air-drying but the cracking is easily halted by end-grain sealer. Like False Sandalwood, I think it would be stable in board form - should make some very smart looking boxes. Some checking appeared while turning the pictured pot but the cracks actually reduced in size when I nuked it which was a nice surprise. Maybe not quite as hard, the timber is very similar to False Sandalwood to work, smells great, oily so it clogs the sandpaper a little but takes a nice finish. Unfortunately the Danish oil I used on the pot ruined the colour a bit but the sample egg stayed true to colour using a couple of coats of Shellawax instead.

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