Erythrophleum fordii seed

LATIN NAME: Erythrophleum fordii

COMMON NAME: Iron Wood

The iron wood of the East is one of the hardest trees in the forest. The tall, straight, evergreen tree carries the glossy, dark-green, leathery leaves and the small, cream flowers, and the heavy, dark, iron-hard wood is one of the great timbers of the region, so hard and durable that it has been cut for the bridges, the wharves, the tool handles and the heavy construction for a very long time. The tree is a fine, long-lived presence of the warm forests. It is a tree of the deep, rich, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The iron wood has a hard and serious story in the plant science, studied for the heavy, iron-hard timber and the way the tree stands for centuries. The chemistry of the wood and the bark, which carry the potent compounds of the old practice, has been examined closely, and it keeps showing up in the work on the hardwoods, the timber trees and the members of the pea family. The glossy, leathery leaves and the tall, straight habit have also made it a fine garden tree, and the iron wood is a regular subject of the studies of the great timbers of the East.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The iron wood is a tree of the first rank in the forests and the timber trade, with a hard reputation to match. The heavy, dark, iron-hard timber is one of the great woods of the region, cut for the bridges, the wharves, the piles, the tool handles and the heavy construction that must stand the years and the water. The tree is also a fine, handsome, long-lived presence of the large garden and the park, and the bark and the wood carry the potent compounds of the old practice, so the plant is one for the timber yard and the study rather than the table. It has been written up in the forestry and the botanical papers for the iron-hard timber and the very long record of use, and it is a fine, long-lived tree of the deep, rich, well-drained garden.

The iron wood of the East is one of the hardest trees in the forest, and the heavy, dark timber has been cut for the bridges, the wharves and the heavy construction for a very long time. The bark and the wood carry the potent compounds of the old practice, so the tree is one for the timber yard and the study rather than the table.

To grow the iron wood from seed, sow the flat, dark seeds a few millimetres deep in pots of moist, free-draining soil, keep the pots in a warm, bright spot and water gently. The seedlings appear within a few weeks and grow on steadily. With the sun, the warmth and the deep, rich, well-drained ground, the tall, straight tree will rise through the years.