causing the burl to become larger
and more dense and creating
unusual grain patterns. The grain
of the burl is composed of conical
elevations, each with a dark speck,
the result of the partial bud
development. The grain of some
figured woods is similar to burl
grain but is an entirely different
phenomenon, even though some
figured woods are mistakenly
called "burly." The grain of figured
wood is due to sharp depressions
in the growth ring, repeated in the
growth rings of successive years,
and usually appearing
throughout an affected tree."
A burl may be a perfect half-sphere
on the side of a tree or look like a
wreath surrounding the tree,
especially if it grows leaves on short
stems as some do. Burls may be
irregular, twisted and malformed;
surfaces may be smooth or rough
and fissured. A burl may grow at any
height on the trunk or on a major
branch of a tree. It may grow
halfway around the trunk, creating a
half-moon that makes a beautiful
carved bowl, along one side of a
tree or sometimes all the way up
and around the entire trunk. This
is the most exciting burl find—the
"burl tree," a tree whose trunk has
been entirely encompassed by
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