Thread: Red Touriga

Bruce,
the name rings a bell, but I've never worked with it. Since world heritage listing came in in the early 80s the majority of timber around here comes from elsewhere.

Mick

Bruce,
As you may know Calophyllum inophyllum is beach callophyllum which is easily identified on the beach margins of Queensland, as a grand shady tree, and is often found as flotsam on the beach. Its timber is brown and is readily distinguished by the fine zig-zag effect when quarter sawn.
Callophyllum sil ( Blush Touriga) and Callophyllum costatum (Red Touriga) are closely related and to the best of my knowledge are very similar. They have exactly the same density of 735 kg/m3. So how do you know which one you have?
If you are certain you have Callophyllum costatum I would love to see a piece (6"x3"x1/2") any chance?
I have a few 3x3 lengths of Callophyllum (red) and I am not sure how to identify it any further, but it is certainly red. In fact it is a very attractive timber with the colour looking like a delicate wash on the surface rather than a solid effect. I have turned peppermills etc from it and it is a pleasure to use. I would be happy to send you a sample of this if you want.

John Elliott.

Originally Posted by JOhn Elliott

Bruce,
As you may know Calophyllum inophyllum is beach callophyllum which is easily identified on the beach margins of Queensland, as a grand shady tree, and is often found as flotsam on the beach. Its timber is brown and is readily distinguished by the fine zig-zag effect when quarter sawn.
Callophyllum sil ( Blush Touriga) and Callophyllum costatum (Red Touriga) are closely related and to the best of my knowledge are very similar. They have exactly the same density of 735 kg/m3. So how do you know which one you have?
If you are certain you have Callophyllum costatum I would love to see a piece (6"x3"x1/2") any chance?
I have a few 3x3 lengths of Callophyllum (red) and I am not sure how to identify it any further, but it is certainly red. In fact it is a very attractive timber with the colour looking like a delicate wash on the surface rather than a solid effect. I have turned peppermills etc from it and it is a pleasure to use. I would be happy to send you a sample of this if you want.

John Elliott.

John
The person that gave me the piece comes from north QLD and found it "in the beach" north of Port Douglas some 40 years ago. He had it identified and carbon dated down in Brisbane (Indooroopilly) (300+ years old?). It indeed has the colouring (very dark red) and a wash on the surface of the timber has you have described. I will post a photo on the bb in the very near future of a weather station I am making out of the small piece I have. In my original thread I mentioned other oddities of the timber that I was told about, and hopfully you may be able to set me straight on this. Is the species extinct on the mainland? I was told it is now only found on Papua New Guinea?
I will be talking to this person very soon and I shall endevour to get another piece of it.

Bruce,
None of the above mentioned species of Callophyllum are "extinct" in Australia. C. inophyllum is only found on beach margins in high rainfall areas of NQ and is common. For instance you would be hard pressed not to find one in Mission Beach.
The other two C. costatum and sil are inland rainforest species but anything can be washed down the Daintree and end up on a beach such as Port Douglas.

John Elliott.