Elephants on the Handles

While looking in my kitchen drawer I found two more elephants!  These are African hand carved wooden salad servers with elephants on the handle.

Traditionally carvers crafted beautiful pieces from ironwood which is a very heavy and dense wood.  These salad servers come from Zimbabwe.  

Wood is the most favourite material or medium for sculpture in Africa.  Hard, termite-resistant woods are preferred for sculpture. Ironwood is a common name for many woods or plants that have a reputation for hardness.

The black ironwood is an African tree species in the olive family.  It is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. It occurs in the bush, as an aquatic plant along a lake shoreline, and in an evergreen forest. Other common names include ironwood, ironwood olive, East African olive and Elgon olive.

An ironwood tree doesn’t bloom every year. One source said perhaps two out of five years. The flowers range from white to deep lavender.  The trees bloom for only 10 to 18 days.

Ironwood trees also grow in Canada.  Here they are commonly known as Hop-Hornbeam.  Ironwood trees have the hardest and densest wood of any species in Canada. You can identify the tree by looking at the shaggy, narrow strips of bark that some people say look like fried bacon as they peel. In Canada, Ironwood trees rarely grow more than 12m and they are fairly short-lived.

Ironwood trees can live in areas of drought and they are free of any significant disease or pest problems. This makes them a good choice for ornamental designs.  Its seeds are also a good source of food for small mammals and many birds. 

Yes, ironwood trees are found in the USA and Mexico. Pioneers are reported to have used Ironwood trees for tool handles, levers, sled runners, wooden dishes  and various items of wagon gear.  

The American hophornbeam has wood that is extremely hard when it has dried thoroughly.  It also provides plenty of heat when burned.  No matter which name you decide to call it, ironwood makes great firewood. If you are lucky enough to live in a region where it grows you should consider adding some to your woodshed.

# living life abundantly   # published author