Desert Ironwood // Olneya tesota
Olneya tesota is one of the densest and most stable woods known. It is so dense that it will not float in water, and so hard that it has been used for bearings. It's hardness and color variety means it yeilds extremely attractive appearance and finishes beautifully. Due to its hardness and tree size the pieces are small.
Color Range
Ironwood is deep chocolate-brown, almost black, mottled with yellowish-red.
Other Names
Desert ironwood, Arizona ironwood, palo de hierro, tesota, palo de fierro, palofierro, Sonora ironwood
Some Typical Uses
Handles, jewelry, carvings, accents, decorative projects, boxes, hand craft.
What's the Tree Like?
If you've ever seen the tree, you'll know why the pieces are always small. The Desert Ironwood is a typical desert tree, which reaches a non-plussing height of 25 feet with a short thick trunk that is up to 18 inches in diameter. It's rarely straight, growing with all manner of twists and turns.Desert Ironwood grows in North America
