PLEASE NOTE
I am an authority on neither wood nor language. These definitions were gleaned from listening to and reading what others say. I include them only as an aid to marketing and I hope to add illustrations as soon as possible. Additions and corrections are sincerely welcome.

COLOR
The heartwood of every tree has a distinctive color. Describing wood color is difficult because wood from the Maple tree will have a 'maple' color and Redwood a 'redwood' color. Trees lend their names to colors in inks, paints and dyes.

FIGURE
A visual design is produced by the annual growth of trees. When straight and fairly even [from the trunks of most trees] it is referred to as 'wood grain'. This characteristic allows wood to be easily split (or milled) providing a valuable natural resource in every culture. Wood from other parts of trees [and from unusual trees] produce more complex visual patterns. This is commonly referred to as 'wood figure'.

KNOTS
These are the anchors of branches in the trunk. Most often they are much harder than the surrounding heart or sap wood and, depending on the angleof attack, they produce concentric circles or ellipses. If a broken branch has been covered by new growth, bark and voids may also be associated with knots.

BIRD'S-EYES
These are the pinhead sized beginnings of new branches and appear as tiny knots splattered or sprayed through relatively straight grained wood. In trees like Redwood they will grow even after being severed.

CURL
This pattern occurs in the trunks of rare trees of many species. It is a repeating sine curve in the growth pattern and when quartersawn it appears to undulate, reflecting light like a moire. The finest examples often find their way into musical instruments, hense the secondary name 'fiddleback'. Other forms of this undulating pattern which are not as straight or regular are referred to as 'quilted'.

FEATHER
This form of figure is produced in the crotch of trees and displays the dynamics of branching. In cross section it appears a plume-shaped configuration of curling grain which conveys a sense of complex visual depth.

SPALT
After a tree is down its natural color fades and is then overlaid with new colors during the process of decay. Discoloration patterns occur both along the grain and across it causing a mottled (or dappled) effect of multiple hues and shades. Occasionally thin black lines outline these areas of decay. Directly associated with this process is a deterioration of the wood's density and integrity.

BURL
A composition of dense clusters of bird's-eyes surrounded by swirling grain. The finest pieces closely resembling lacework. Redwood is one of the few tree that consistently produces burl at its base.