NELSONWOOD PORTFOLIO
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    • Bowls and Platters H-L >
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    • Bowls and Platters M >
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      • MYRTLEWOOD BURL
    • Bowls and Platters N-P >
      • NARGUSTA BURL
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      • OLIVEWOOD
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    • Bowls and Platters Q-S >
      • QUEENWOOD
      • RED BUD
      • RED BUD BURL
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      • STAGHORN SUMAC
    • Bowls and Platters T-Z >
      • TAMBOOTIE
      • TASMANIAN FIDDLEBACK EUCALYPTUS
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      • TASMANIAN MYRTLEWOOD
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      • TEAK BURL
      • TEXAS EBONY
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      • TREE OF HEAVEN
      • TULIPWOOD
      • TZALAM
      • VITEX BURL
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      • WHITE TOP BURL
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Kou (Cordia subcordata) is in the Borage or Foget-me-not family (Boraginaceae) Kou is known by a number of local names outside of the Hawaiian Islands, such as Bird lime tree, Glueberry, Kerosene wood, Manjak, Mareer, Marer, Narrow-leafed bird lime tree, Snottygobbles, and Tou. Early Hawaiians certainly brought Kou with them as one of the canoe plants since it is such a highly esteemed wood. In Papua New Guinea this indigenous tree is known as the Kerosene tree because it burns so easily.

Kou is considered a rare wood. It grows in the coastal regions of the Hawaiian islands.  Kou was almost totally destroyed by a moth in the 1800’s.
This wood was prized by Hawaiian royalty for food use: poi bowls, calabashes and utensils as Kou does not impart a taste to food.
Legend says the Gods choose who can work in Kou. 

Kou canopy may spread to 25 feet across, often as wide as tall. In the 19th century, Kou grew as tall as 50 feet in Hawaiiʻi, but defoliation by kou leaf worm as reduced the heights. Such giants may remain in remote areas in the Marshall Islands and elsewhere in the Pacific. The seeds are salt-water tolerate and disperse along coastal areas even on atolls where few other timber trees for wood can grow.

Formerly thought to be exclusively a Polynesian introduction, a recent fossil site at Māhāʻulepū, Kauaʻi predates Polynesian arrival where Kou samples were found and thus proving that Kou is also an indigenous plant. The seeds are salt-water tolerate and disperse along coastal areas even on atolls where few other timber trees for wood can grow.

Kou was considered as one of the best woods for carvings along with the native koa (Acacia koa) and milo (Thespesia populnea), and the Polynesian introduced kamani (Calophyllum inophyllum). Kou was prized because of the beauty of the grain and ease of cutting and carving. 

The leaves were used to stain fishing lines a light tan. The aged leaves were used for a warm brown to red dye for kapa, a type of textile made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree.
© 2014  NELSONWOOD All Rights Reserved        All turnings,woodwork and photos by Bryan Tyler Nelson
  • NELSONWOOD PORTFOLIO
  • Crochet Hooks
    • NELSONWOOD HOOK REVIEWS
  • Bowls and Platters
    • Bowls and Platters A-B >
      • AFRICAN BLACKWOOD
      • AFZELIA BURL
      • ASH
      • AMBOYNA BURL
      • AMBROSIA MAPLE
      • ANDIRA
      • APPLE
      • APRICOT
      • ARIPIN
      • BIMBLE BOX BURL
      • BIRD'S EYE MAPLE
      • BLACK and WHITE EBONY
      • BLACK FOREST CHERRY
      • BLACK LIMBA
      • BLOODWOOD
      • BLUE MAHOE
      • BOCOTE
      • BOLIVIAN ROSEWOOD
      • BORNEO ROSEWOOD
      • BOX ELDER
      • BRADFORD PEAR
      • BRIAR BURL
      • BROWN EBONY
      • BROWNHEART
      • BROWN MALLEE BURL
      • BUBINGA
      • BUCKEYE BURL
      • BURMESE BLACKWOOD
      • BURMESE PADAUK
      • BUTTERNUT
    • Bowls and Platters C-G >
      • CAMATILLO
      • CAMPHOR BURL
      • CANARYWOOD
      • CARANDA
      • CEBIL
      • CEDAR
      • CEDAR ELM
      • CEYLON OAK BURL
      • CHAKTE VIGA
      • CHECHEM
      • CHERRY
      • CHERRY BURL
      • CHINABERRY
      • COCOBOLO
      • COCOBOLO BURL
      • COCOBOLO BIG
      • COCUSWOOD
      • COFFEE BURL
      • COOLIBAH BURL
      • COTTONWOOD
      • CRATE MYRTLE
      • DALMATA
      • EAST INDIAN ROSEWOOD
      • EBONY
      • ELM
      • GMELIA BURL
      • GRANDILLO
      • GRAPE ROOT BURL
      • GREENHEART
      • GUAYACAN
    • Bowls and Platters H-L >
      • HACKBERRY
      • HOLLY
      • HONDURAN MAHOGANY
      • HONDURAN ROSEWOOD
      • HONDURAN ROSEWOOD BURL
      • HONEY LOCUS
      • HORISTES BURL
      • HORMIGO
      • HORNBEAM BURL
      • HUBUBALI
      • IMBUIA
      • IVORYWOOD
      • JARRAH BURL
      • JATOBA
      • JOBILLO
      • KAKAWATE
      • KAMANI BURL
      • KATALOX
      • KINGWOOD
      • KNOBTHORN
      • KOA
      • KOU
      • LACEWOOD
      • LACEY SHEOAK
      • LEOPARDWOOD
      • LILAC
      • LIMESTONE CEDAR
      • LOGAN BERRY
      • LOURO PRETO
    • Bowls and Platters M >
      • MACAWOOD
      • MACASSAR EBONY
      • MACHICHE
      • MADRONE BURL
      • MANZANITA BURL
      • MAPLE BIG LEAF BURL
      • MAPLE CURLY
      • MAPLE SPALTED
      • MAPLE QUILTED
      • MAPLE TEXAS GROWN
      • MORADO
      • MARBLEWOOD
      • MASUR BIRCH
      • MESQUITE
      • MILO
      • MONTERILLO
      • MORA
      • MOVINGUI
      • MUN EBONY
      • MULBERRY
      • MUSKWOOD
      • MYRTLEWOOD
      • MYRTLEWOOD BURL
    • Bowls and Platters N-P >
      • NARGUSTA BURL
      • NARRA
      • NECTARINE
      • NORFOLK PINE
      • OAK
      • OAK CURLY
      • OBSIDIAN BURL
      • OLIVEWOOD
      • OSAGE ORANGE
      • PADAUK
      • PAELA BURL
      • PANGA PANGA
      • PASTACHIO
      • PECAN
      • PECAN SPALTED
      • PERNAMBUCO
      • PHEASANTWOOD
      • PINK IVORY
      • PLUM
      • POST OAK
      • PRADAUK
      • PURPLEHEART
    • Bowls and Platters Q-S >
      • QUEENWOOD
      • RED BUD
      • RED BUD BURL
      • RED GUM
      • RED MALLEE BURL
      • RED PALM
      • REDHEART
      • REDWOOD
      • REDWOOD BURL
      • RIB FRUITED MALLEE BURL (CORRUGATA)
      • RUSSIAN OLIVE
      • SABAH EBONY
      • SAPELE
      • SAPELE POMMELE
      • SASSAFRAS
      • SATINE BLOODWOOD
      • SATINWOOD
      • SCYAMORE
      • SHEDUA
      • SINDORA BURL
      • SNAKEWOOD
      • SPALTED TAMARIND
      • STAGHORN SUMAC
    • Bowls and Platters T-Z >
      • TAMBOOTIE
      • TASMANIAN FIDDLEBACK EUCALYPTUS
      • TASMANIAN EUCALYPTUS BURL
      • TASMANIAN MYRTLEWOOD
      • TEAK
      • TEAK BURL
      • TEXAS EBONY
      • THIN WIN
      • TREE OF HEAVEN
      • TULIPWOOD
      • TZALAM
      • VITEX BURL
      • WALNUT
      • WENGE
      • WHITE ASIAN PEAR
      • WHITE TOP BURL
      • YELLOW BOX BURL
      • YELLOWHEART
      • YORREL BURL
      • YUCANTAN ROSEWOOD
      • ZAPOTE
      • ZEBRAWOOD
      • ZIRCOTE
  • HANDCRAFTED SALT AND PEPPER MILL
    • AFZELIA BURL MILLS
    • AMBOYNA BURL MILLS
    • ASH BURL MILLS
    • BOCOTE MILLS
    • BIG LEAF MAPLE BURL MILLS
    • CANARYWOOD MILLS
    • CAMPHOR BURL MILLS
    • COCOBOLO MILLS
    • CORRUGATA BURL MILLS
    • LACEY SHEOAK MILLS
    • MANZANITA BURL MILLS
    • MIADOU BURL MILLS
    • NARGUSTA BURL MILLS
    • PURPLEHEART MILLS
    • OBSIDIAN BURL MILLS
    • REDWOOD (LACEY) MILLS
    • SPALTED TAMARIND MILLS
    • TAMBOOTIE MILLS
    • TEAK BURL MILLS
    • WALNUT MILLS
    • CLARIO WALNUT MILLS
    • ZEBRAWOOD MILLS
  • Bowls with Lids
  • Salad Bowl & Bowl Sets
  • Texas Burl
  • Hollow Forms
  • Miniature Bird Houses
  • Kaleidoscope Eggs
  • Vases
  • Nature's Signature
  • TEXAS CAPITOL HERITAGE WOODS
  • Other Work
    • GAME TABLE
    • August's Desk and Chairs
    • Pinocchio
    • Bedroom Furniture
    • Bubinga Coffee Table
    • Pool Cue Rack
    • Boxes
    • Lamps
    • Len's Recipe Card Box
    • Fireplace Mantles
    • Carvings
    • Ring Boxes
    • Clocks
    • Chess Set and Board
  • Contact Me
  • Reviews
  • Monster
  • About The Artist