Fairly common on the Highlands, I believe Peach bush gets it's name from
the texture of the leaves which feel just like those of a Peach tree.
Growing
to about 6-8 metres, the trunk is usually very fluted and twisted in a
vine-like manner. Where there is insect or other damage to the
pith, the heartwood is prone to
'ebonize' as some plants here do.
It would be difficult to find specimens suitable for cutting planks from and
I have not tried this yet. The few small pieces I have gathered shrank and
distorted quite badly. If
you had the time, Peach bush might be worth chasing for the ebonized sections
for pen-making but I doubt I'll go chasing much more than that.
When freshly cut, the timber is a curry yellow but quickly changes to a pinkish-grey. You can see the difference in the photo
where the near log was just cut, whilst the far one has been exposed to
the air for a couple of minutes.
The
timber was great to turn while green but this piece I rough-turned lost so
much shape while drying that I could not finish it on the lathe. What you
see in the photo was just hand sanded and polished. In summary - really
not worth the trouble!
