# Trying to identify this yellow colored wood?



## Augray (Feb 4, 2018)

Hi All, 

I snipped this off of a tree on my family's farm here in Indiana, thinking it was a box elder based on its leaf shape and pattern (I've attached a picture of its leaves from this past fall and the trunk of the tree for reference). I was surprised to see a bright yellow/green heartwood and a pale yellow/white sapwood. I took some slices at various angles and found this coloration to be consistent throughout and have remained with exposure to air, see photos attached. There are no trees with similar characteristics in the immediate vicinity (I haven't looked extensively, but the only trees within a 20ish yard radius are a hickory, pine, some apple trees and some hackberry's). The sapwood oozes a white sap from the end grain right after cutting. To me, the wood color looks almost like a mulberry or a Kentucky Yellow wood, but the leaves and general outward appearance seem to be classic box elder from what I can tell. It's not a yellow tinged Osage Orange, as we have plenty of those on the farm and this tree definitely isn't one of them. Any ideas what this might be?


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## Tony (Feb 4, 2018)

@phinds


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## phinds (Feb 4, 2018)

Naggingly familiar but I can't place it. First thought was staghorn sumac but I'm sure that' not it. Also thought of smoketree but again, I don't really think so. Probably @Mr. Peet can get it from the bark/leaves. Color looks like mineral stained tulip poplar but it appears to be ring porous which rules that out. Black locust maybe.

Reactions: Like 1


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## DKMD (Feb 4, 2018)

Looks like mulberry to me... but the leaf seems wrong.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Tony (Feb 4, 2018)

On the wood itself I'm with Doc, looks like Mulberry. Tony

Reactions: Agree 1


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## ripjack13 (Feb 4, 2018)

Looks like a turkey maple from the leaves...but i think the technical name is Acer rubrum, red maple?


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## ripjack13 (Feb 4, 2018)

Need to flatten the leaf out...


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## Lou Currier (Feb 4, 2018)

Take a picture of the leaf on a white background and use the leaf snap app

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Mr. Peet (Feb 5, 2018)

Doc is correct, the leaves are Box elder, Ash leaved maple. See the opposite branching, red in the petiole, and green stems. The milky sap comment is limited to a few plants in the tree group, Box elder and Norway maple being the two most common in his area. The tree bark and wood are Mulberry, I would assume 'Red' but not surprised if it is 'White'. In the tree picture you can easily see sucking branches that do not match the branches in the leaf pictures.

Nice try Matthew, did we pass your test?

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Augray (Feb 5, 2018)

OMG...you're right Peet, I'm such a dunce. I took the leaf pictures this past fall and the trunk picture when I clipped them this winter, and I think I clipped the wrong tree. I scoured all my fall photos and finally found one rouge picture of what appears to be the same tree trunk I posted earlier from a different angle...classic Mulberry leaves all over it. Not sure I would have figured it out on my own until this spring...this really had me stumped. Sorry about that y'all...thanks for the help!

Reactions: Like 2 | Funny 3


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## Ralph Muhs (Feb 11, 2018)

There is a tree in Indiana named yellowwood. The Yellowwood State Forrest is near Nashville or Bloomington Indiana. I know nothing about yellowwood lumber. I believe I read somewhere that it is "protected". I also read somewhere that it is often sold as an ornamental tree. Just curious.


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## phinds (Feb 11, 2018)

Ralph Muhs said:


> There is a tree in Indiana named yellowwood. The Yellowwood State Forrest is near Nashville or Bloomington Indiana. I know nothing about yellowwood lumber. I believe I read somewhere that it is "protected". I also read somewhere that it is often sold as an ornamental tree. Just curious.


There are 40+ species of wood that are called yellowwood. No idea which ones grow in Indiana. Maybe @Mr. Peet has some idea


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## Mr. Peet (Feb 11, 2018)

phinds said:


> There are 40+ species of wood that are called yellowwood. No idea which ones grow in Indiana. Maybe @Mr. Peet has some idea



_Cladratis kentucea_, formally _C. lutea_ is the common 'Yellow-wood' of the south. The wood looks a lot like 'Sugar maple', but yellow, the barks looks like 'Beech'. The leaves are similar to beech, but with smooth edges. The flowers are beautiful...


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