
Return to the gallery, see the details of the wood carving
Life to life :
...All curves intertwined, which looks at each other, approaching, almost touching each other... like two people in life...

French : Genévrier oxycèdre
English : Red juniper
German : Zwergzeder
Italian : Ginepro pungente
Spanish : Oxicedro
Dutch : Stekelige jeneverbes
Origin : Europe méditerranéenne
Latin : Juniperus oxycedrus
Family : Cupressacées
Country : France
Trunks of wood : 1 3 m
Diameter : 0.2 0.6 m
Density : 0.5 0.6
Life : + de 300 ans.
It 's the juniper large fruit with very sharp leaves (oxy) hence its name, whom has two white stripes on the top. Its wood has a good smell, with a fine grain, it is also called "Cade" and was widely used in statuary sculpture , surely because of its side rot proof.
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French : If
English : Yew
German : Eibe
Italian : Tasso
Spanish : Tejo
Dutch : Taxusboom
Origin : Europe méridionale, Caucase
Latin : Taxus baccata
Family : Taxacées
Country : France
Trunks of wood : 1 15 m
Diameter : 0 0.8 m
Density : 0.6 0.8
Life : de 200...à 1000 ans.
Its Latin name clearly announces things, Taxus means toxic because, except its red berries which are eaten by birds, everything else is. Because of its slow growth, it has a very tight timber, with beautiful orange color, although it must be careful in very fine sanding because its dust can be irritating. Planted when a monastic community was create in Viegeois (Corrèze)
, this Yew has proudly displays more than 1400 years to a diameter of 9 m...
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French : Marronnier d'Inde
English : Horse chesnut tree
German : Rosskastanie
Italian : Castagno ippocastano
Spanish : Castaño de indias
Dutch : Paardekastanje
Origin : Montagnes des Balkans
Latin : Aesculus hippocastanum
Family : Hippocastanacées
Country : France
Trunks of wood : 5 15 m
Diameter : 0.3 0.8 m
Density : 0.35 0.5
Life : + de 100 ans...300 ans.
No ... it does not come from India but from the southern Eastern Europe (Greece, Bulgaria, northern Turkey) and arrived in France in 1525 ... the last few years it's a victim of a specific illness, that we called in french '' mineuse du marronier '' resulting in brown spots on leaves that fall prematurely during the summer. Deprived of part of its resources, the tree becomes more sensitive to all diseases Because their textures are similar, I use it very often with the European walnut tree to make chess game board or for some cut in marquetry "Boulle" for their opposition of colors.
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French : Noyer
English : Walnut tree
German : Nussbaum
Italian : Noce
Spanish : Nogal
Dutch : Noteboom
Origin : Asie Mineure
Latin : Juglans regia
Family : Juglandacées
Country : France
Trunks of wood : 2 6 m
Diameter : 0.4 0.8 m
Density : 0.5 0.8
Life : + de 200 ans.
Bring back by the Persians from Asia, adopted by the Greeks, cultivated by the Romans throughout the empire, they gave it its name of "Jupiter's acorn": Juglans (from Jovis, Jupiter and glans, acorn).
Its tight grain and especially its dark color has been appreciate by cabinet makers when they had to find another specie than ebony for beautiful furniture, often with a dye because only its heart is really black. It also provided quite a surprise when you bought it on feet , but its color shades of grey, red and black are naturally beautiful.
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French : Robinier
English : Locust tree
German : Gemeine robinie
Italian : Robinia
Spanish : Acacia blanca
Dutch : Robinia
Origin : Amérique du Nord
Latin : Robinia pseudoacacia
Family : Fabacées-Papilionacées
Country : France
Trunks of wood : 7 10 m
Diameter : 0.2 0.6 m
Density : 0.6 0.8
Life : + de 300 ans.
Wrongly called "Acacia", its name pays homage to Jean Robin, Parisian botanist who planted the first in Europe Place Dauphine in Paris in 1601. It was moved in 1635 to the Jardin des Plantes. It is also possible to see the one planted in 1602 in the square Saint Julien le pauvre, opposite the Island of the City...
Native to North America, it was first used as an ornamental tree before becoming a tree species planted across all Europe. Its flowers, clustered white, are wonderful in fritters and are also very appreciated by my bees. Its wood has a beautiful yellow pearly color, and is hard to work because of its hardness. It takes a beautiful depth when polishing. And as it does not rot, do not hesitate to use in outdoor furniture.
Let me a comment on « Locust tree », one of the wood species of the xylotheque