Oregon Myrtle

Oregon Myrtle is the timber of Umbellularia californica, a broadleaf evergreen tree of the laurel family that grows almost exclusively along the coastal ranges of southwestern Oregon and northern California. The same tree is known as California Bay Laurel or pepperwood in California, where its aromatic leaves are used as a bay-leaf substitute; "Oregon Myrtle" and "myrtlewood" are the names the timber trade favors, and the wood has long been a signature souvenir craft material of the southern Oregon coast.

Despite the "myrtle" name it is not a true myrtle (Myrtus); the common name is a regional label rather than a botanical one. The sample is characteristic of clear, straight-grained stock: a warm tan-to-honey-brown ground with a fine, even texture and a subtle wavy grain pattern.

Color is highly variable, which is part of the wood's appeal. It ranges from pale golden-yellow and tan through honey-brown, often shading into olive, gray-green, or reddish-brown, and can carry dark mineral streaks and blotchy patches. Sapwood is paler and not always sharply demarcated. Figured stock — burl, curl, fiddleback, and pippy or cluster-figure boards — is common and prized, and the wood takes a high natural luster.

Grain is typically fine and even, sometimes straight but frequently wavy or interlocked, which produces the shimmering figure the species is known for. Texture is fine and uniform. It is a moderately dense, medium-hard hardwood at roughly 33–40 lb/ft³ (about 530–640 kg/m³) at 12% moisture, with a Janka hardness near 1,270 lbf — in the neighborhood of black walnut and hard maple, firmer than cherry.

The standing tree and freshly cut wood are strongly aromatic, giving off a pungent, spicy, camphor-like scent. Natural durability is only moderate; the wood is not recommended for ground contact or sustained outdoor exposure.

Oregon Myrtle is above all a turning and craft wood. Along the Oregon coast it is turned into bowls, platters, vases, clocks, boxes, and countless souvenir novelties, where its color variation and figure show to best advantage. Burl and highly figured pieces are especially valued for turnery and small decorative work.

Beyond turning it is used for fine furniture accents, cabinetry, paneling, and sliced decorative veneer, as well as carving, knife scales, pens, and other small treen. Clear, well-figured sets are also used as a tonewood for the backs and sides of guitars and other stringed instruments.

Myrtle generally works well with sharp hand and machine tools, but its wavy and interlocked grain is prone to tearout during planing and molding, so sharp cutters, light cuts, and a reduced cutting angle help on figured stock. It turns exceptionally well, carves cleanly, glues and finishes soundly, and polishes to a fine natural luster.

The wood can be somewhat prone to movement and warp during drying, so careful seasoning of blanks and boards is worthwhile. It holds fasteners and takes stain and film finishes well.

Caution: the dust and the tree's foliage are known irritants. Umbellularia californica contains the volatile compound umbellulone, and both the pungent leaves and the fine sanding dust can cause respiratory irritation, headaches, sneezing, and sinus reactions in sensitized workers — the plant is nicknamed "headache tree." Dust extraction and a respirator are strongly advised. The species carries no CITES listing and is not an endangered timber.

Oregon Myrtle is a regional specialty rather than a mainstream commercial hardwood. Because the tree grows only in a narrow coastal band of southwest Oregon and northern California, supply is limited and largely local; it is most easily bought as turning blanks, burl, craft stock, and small boards from Oregon coast mills and specialty dealers rather than as commodity lumber.

Plain stock is moderately priced for a domestic hardwood, but clear wide boards are uncommon and figured, burl, and instrument-grade material command a substantial premium. The species is not threatened and carries no CITES restriction; its scarcity in the trade is a matter of limited natural range and small tree size rather than any legal protection, and sustainably harvested material is obtainable within its region.