Elaeagnus umbellata of the family Elaeagnaceae, also known as Japanese silverberry and akgumi, comes from a small tree / shrub and is not available in lumber form, but may be available in small pieces for craft work. It is native to Japan, Korea, and parts of China. In some parts of the USA it is considered an invasive species. This species is related to Russian olive, which is also of the genus Elaeagnus.
One thing I find curious is that several of my own samples show a dark heartwood and yellowish sapwood but all of the web pics show a uniform yellow or tan color with no dark heartwood.
I also note that I found VERY few pics of the wood on the Internet, which is a sure sign that it's not much used by craftspeople.
my samples: NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K) colors will vary under other lighting conditions
both sides of a sample plank of autumn olive / Elaeagnus umbellata --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of autumn olive / Elaeagnus umbellata --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. As you can see from the end grain, the upper surface of this piece (1st pic) is quartersawn and clearly shows ray flakes.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
both sides of a sample plank of autumn olive / Elaeagnus umbellata --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above
plank and end grain. This piece was donated to the site by Neil Scheidt, whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.
end grain closeup and END GRAIN UPDATE of the piece directly above
web pics:
plank listed as autumn olive (elaeagnus umbellata)
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