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Kalmia latifolia |
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Family: Ericaceae |
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Mountain Laurel |
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The genus Kalmia contains about 7 species native to North
America. Mountain Laurel is the only species that attains tree size, the other
six are shrubs. The genus Kalmia
was dedicated by Linnaeus to his student Peter Kalm (1716-1779), Swedish
botanist who traveled and collected in Canada and eastern United States.
Kalmia latifolia-American Briar, American Laurel, Big
Leaved Ivy, Burl Laurel, Calico Bush, Calico-flower, Calico-tree, Ivy, Ivy
Bush, Ivy Leaf Laurel, Ivywood, Kalmia, Lambkill, Laurel, Laurelwood, Mountain,
Mountain Ivy, Pale Laurel, Poison Ivy, Poison Laurel, Root Laurel, Sheep
Laurel, Small Laurel, Spoonwood, Wicky
Distribution
Southeast Maine west to New York,
Ohio and southern Indiana south to western Tennessee, eastern Mississippi and
southeast Louisiana east to northern Florida and Georgia.
The Tree
Mountain Laurel is a large
shrub, occasionally reaching tree size (reaching 40 feet tall & 2 feet in
diameter) in the eastern US. The leaves, buds, flowers and fruits are poisonous
to humans and cattle, but not to indigenous wildlife such as deer. It has
leathery, evergreen leaves and very showy flower clusters, making it a favorite
plant for ornamental purposes. It prefers acid soils from lowlands to 4,000
feet elevations. It grows in association with oaks, tulip poplar, beech, sugar
maple, white pine and sourwood.
The Wood
General
The wood of Mountain Laurel is
heavy, hard, strong but rather brittle, with a close, straight grain. It has a
light yellow sapwood and a yellow brown heartwood, spotted with red.
Mechanical Propertiesa,b
(2-inch standard)
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Compression |
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Specific gravity |
MOE GPa |
MOR MPa |
Parallel MPa |
Perpendicular MPa |
WMLa kJ/m3 |
Hardness N |
Shear MPa |
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Green |
0.62 |
6.34 |
57.9 |
29.7 |
7.65 |
86 |
5,782 |
11.51 |
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Dry |
0.68 |
8.27 |
76.5 |
40.2 |
12.55 |
71 |
7,962 |
– |
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aWML = Work to maximum load.
bReference (59). |
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Drying and Shrinkagea,b
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Type of shrinkage |
Percentage of
shrinkage |
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0% MC |
6% MC |
20% MC |
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Tangential |
8.0 |
– |
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Radial |
5.6 |
– |
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Volumetric |
14.4 |
– |
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aMountain
laurel will dry well if debarked and split. bReference
(59) |
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Working Properties: Works well
with carving tools or lathe.
Durability: No information
available at this time.
Preservation: No information
available at this time.
Uses: Substitute wood for briar
pipes, small objects & novelties, tool handles, woodenware, fuel.
Toxicity: No information
available at this time.
Additional Reading and
References Cited (in
parentheses)
29. Elias, T.S. 1980. The
complete trees of North America, field guide and natural history. ?Van Nostrand
Reinhold Co., New York, 948 pp.
55. Little, Jr., E.L.1979.
Checklist of United States trees (native and naturalized). USDA ?Forest
Service, Ag. Handbook No. 541, USGPO, Washington, DC.
59. Markwardt, L.J. and T.R.C.
Wilson. 1935. Strength and related properties of woods ?grown in the United
States. USDA Forest Service, Tech. Bull. No. 479. USGPO, ?Washington, DC.
68. Panshin, A.J. and C. de
Zeeuw. 1980. Textbook of Wood Technology, 4th Ed., ?McGraw-Hill Book Co., New
York, 722 pp.
74. Record, S.J. and R.W. Hess.
1943. Timbers of the new world. Yale University Press, ?New Haven, 640 pp.
90. Summitt, R. and A. Sliker.
1980. CRC handbook of materials science. Volume 4, ?wood. ?CRC Press, Inc.,
Boca Raton, FL. 459 pp.