Thread: purpleheart\gidgee

yes the Brazilian stuff is

Peltogyne spp.
Family: Caesalpiniaceae

generally dark brown and goes purple when exposed to light or worked

Gidgee is acacia gidyea, u get different tones like pink gidgee or purple gidgee but its definaltey not purpleheart<o></o>

Have sent you a PM reguarding the purple heart.............

Reguards Tasman...............

i think its one of them generic naming convention issues, purpleheart is the general name for purple wood and in australia the purple gidgee was probably called purpleherat cos its purple but i think there is a rainforest tree up north that also goes purple.

Like in the other thread, the purplewood wattle (Acacia carneorum)know under a couple of a few other names seems to be the main known aussie purple wood..

http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bi...taxon_id=66685

Tasman, any purple woods down yr way besides some myrtles?

Hi, I bought about 5 logs of this purple wood you guys are talking about. I was told it was purple hearted cypress but no one knows about it. So i presume it must be this wattle you guys are tslking about. It is nice to work with. I find that it is similar to cypress in the way of the bark but it does leak sap like a wattle.
Nice turning a bowl from as it has a natural egde of white and purple in the middle.

Originally Posted by Jedo_03

I know there has been previous debate about purpleheart and I looked at the threads...
but still confused,,,
the brazilian stuff is the "real" purpleheart - right... Right...
But Australia-Google search brings up Gidgee as purpleheart...
Thing is, the description of Gidgee is dark brown wood... no mention of purpleheart found (in my search)...
Yet I KNOW that purpleheart is found locally (N of BH)....
so what sp of tree are we looking for...
cheers
Jedo

Purple Gidgee is acacia crombiei while common Gidgee is acacia cambagei. Common Gidgee is dark brown as you said, but Purple Gidgee is the most beautiful coloured timber I have ever seen - leaves Brazilian Purpleheart for dead. It only grows in a smallish part of western Queensland and is hard to get hold of. Would give my left one for another chunk of it - maybe the right as well if need be!

Originally Posted by TTIT

Purple Gidgee is acacia crombiei while common Gidgee is acacia cambagei. Common Gidgee is dark brown as you said, but ...

What is the one with the pink (purple) ring in it Vern.?
Is it a hybrid?
The centre is dark brown but after you cut it it developes a pink (purple) ring between the sap wood & the heart wood.

Originally Posted by TTIT

Purple Gidgee is the most beautiful coloured timber I have ever seen - leaves Brazilian Purpleheart for dead. It only grows in a smallish part of western Queensland and is hard to get hold of. Would give my left one for another chunk of it - maybe the right as well if need be!

Did you do any good with that phone number my brother got?

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

What is the one with the pink (purple) ring in it Vern.?
Is it a hybrid?
The centre is dark brown but after you cut it it developes a pink (purple) ring between the sap wood & the heart wood.


Did you do any good with that phone number my brother got?

Still trying to work that one out Cliff ! I've only seen pictures of it and until I scored a piece of the real-deal, I too thought that was Purple Gidgee - unless there are variations in it which is entirely likely with an acacia . The sample of Purple Gidgee I got was a solid royal purple right through with a thin pale sapwood.
I spoke to the guy your brother found and he was very insistent that a lot of blokes had already been through what was there and said there was nothing big enough to use so it wouldn't be worth my while. I think they were just duping him to make sure no-one else attacked their stash but I didn't want to argue with him. Still chasing some more contacts out that way - and also looking at a new job that will have me visiting that area a bit - never know !!!!

I used all the pink ring stuff I had, I went back for more but the bloke who has that business now is very confised & is trying to sell dead finish as gidgee.

There were about 100 trees of that purple stuff knocked over in a storm, they must have given it a BIG clean up for it to be all gone now.

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

I used all the pink ring stuff I had, I went back for more but the bloke who has that business now is very confised & is trying to sell dead finish as gidgee.

The Purple Gidgee I bought some time back (still have a small log or 2) has the pink ring. I also have some Dead Finish, which I actually prefer, but both are beautiful.

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

I used all the pink ring stuff I had, I went back for more but the bloke who has that business now is very confised & is trying to sell dead finish as gidgee.

There were about 100 trees of that purple stuff knocked over in a storm, they must have given it a BIG clean up for it to be all gone now.

Might be some wires crossed - actually only 100 trees in the entire stand with six trees down in the storm
Before he got confuzzled did he mention where the pink-ringed stuff came from - might be able to work out which species it might be from the location.

Yeap, sounds like crossed wires alright.

The pink ringed stuff was a christmas pressy from a mate, he bought it at Wren Timbers in Cairns in 2004.

I went back there in 2006 & there was a different bloke to the one that the mate bought it off.

The stuff he showed me was on a pallet down the back of the yard with a bit of plastic over it.

It had Gidgee written on it but it was NOT Gidgee, I told him so but he didn't believe me.

I took a piece to Prossy with me in Nov 2006 & everybody there agreed with me.
We all reckoned it was Dead Finish.

I got a piece from a gallery guy and he said that when he was working it he started to feel a bit chesty, and recommended breathing protection when working it.

Is it (purple gidgee) poisonous in any way?

What is the one with the pink (purple) ring in it Vern.?
Is it a hybrid?
The centre is dark brown but after you cut it it developes a pink (purple) ring between the sap wood & the heart wood.

Boy you guys certainly yack on.

I believe you are referring to Acacia peuce or Waddywood.
This is unusual in that it turns to a purple colour after being cut. Very hard and very beautiful colouring.
I believe it has been mentioned on this site before.

John Elliott.

That's how we learn!
I don't yack on very often because I know so much!!

Now, Purple Gidgee has been well described andscientifically named above.
Just a point. While Purple Gidgee is indeed beautiful and rareIt is a bit of a chameleon. When cut gree it is a greenish colou. this changes to purple on exposure to light. Long term exposure to light changes it to brown.