Spalting

I found this remarkable piece of wood on Porthluney beach on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall in 2014. At the time it was in three pieces and still partially covered in bark. But the bark fell off with the slightest pressure and I soon realised that the three pieces joined together.

So, as soon as I got home, I glued them into one piece and, as it had been washed about by the sea and dried out, I gave it some linseed oil.

What this revealed was a set of glorious black and white patterns. But what created them?

Having spoken to a few wood experts it appears to be something called spalting. 

Spalting is any form of wood colouration caused by fungi. Although primarily found in dead trees, spalting can also occur in living trees under stress. Pigmentation is caused when fungi produce extracellular pigments and a visible colour change can be seen if enough hyphae are concentrated in an area. 

Conditions required for spalting are the same as the conditions required for most fungal growth: fixed nitrogen, micronutrients, water, warm temperatures and oxygen. Cornwall has all of those in abundance. 

It's a shame that my piece is so long and thin as spalted wood is beautiful for use in veneers and for woodturning.

So what can I do with mine? 

A wand maybe?