The beauty of myrtlewood
The Myrtle tree is native to Southwestern Oregon and Northwestern California. This is the only place on earth it grows. It is a broadleaf evergreen which keeps its leaves for two or three years. It is a member of the Laurel family and also goes by the name of Bay Laurel or 
Pepperwood. When the Oregon Myrtle tree grows in the open, it grows into a dome shape which provides protection from the wind. However, in the forest it grows vertically up to sixty to one hundred feet tall, with a diameter of two to five feet. There are no large stands of this rare tree, nearly all the remaining Myrtle trees are found in small groves. Another characteristic which makes this tree particularly valuable is how slowly it grows, taking centuries for them to reach full maturity.
The wood of the myrtle is exceptionally dense and fine-grained. Its color is not found in any other wood, ranging from light tan to deep golden brown, from shades of gray to black, sometimes with hints of red, blue and green. No other hardwood can match the beauty of Myrtlewood grain or its variety of colors. Grain patterns include Spalted Myrtle, Myrtle Burl, Tiger, and Fiddleback.
Myrtlewood makes beautiful furniture, kitchen and decorative items, gunstocks, cabinets, paneling, veneer and musical instruments.