North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lucky Pittman <lucky.pittman@murraystate.edu>]

At 03:48 PM 2/20/2004 -0600, Steve wrote:
> I have some rosybloom crabs that seem to produce rock rather than wood.  The
> wood is dense and reddish.

Several of the red-fleshed crabs in my collection also have red/purple wood 
- Winter Red Flesh & Almata, don't recall exactly about some of the others.
Vic Caron sent me some wood from a seedling of Hampshire that she's growing 
out, and it's got the darkest purple wood I've ever seen - looks like you 
squashed a pokeberry on it.
I think I discussed this with Del at some time in the past, and he 
indicated that the pigment in those woods is not particularly stable, but I 
can't swear that I didn't misunderstand/misinterpret him.

There is a 'Deming's Purple' black walnut that has a red/purple tint, but I 
don't know how stable that coloration is in the cured lumber.


Lucky Pittman
USDA Zone 6
Hopkinsville, KY