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Logwood trees


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"Logwood trees" have made their appearance a couple of times in pirate books I have been reading (especially William Dampier), but without any explanation of what they actually were. So I got curious and looked them up.

I then found a rather interesting article about them. Although it is probably more interesting to a botanist, there is some discussion about the dye history and the relationship between logwood cutting and piracy that may interest people here.

I can't comment on the accuracy of the historical details, but the botany on this site is generally accurate.

Logwood and Brazilwood

Anyway, I don't know whether this is of interest to any of you, but combining piracy and botany makes me happy.

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  • 6 years later...

Bump. (I just thought this might interest some of you. ;) )

Mycroft: "My brother has the brain of a scientist or a philosopher, yet he elects to be a detective. What might we deduce about his heart?"

John: "I don't know."

Mycroft: "Neither do I. But initially he wanted to be a pirate."

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There's some good stuff back there. (As well as multiple versions of the same ol' same ol'. I can't count all the discussions on tattoos, earrings, fantasy vs. PC, marriage at sea and suchlike. Well, OK, I could, but I don't like to.) Curiously, I did NOT find what I was looking for. ;)

Mycroft: "My brother has the brain of a scientist or a philosopher, yet he elects to be a detective. What might we deduce about his heart?"

John: "I don't know."

Mycroft: "Neither do I. But initially he wanted to be a pirate."

Mission_banner5.JPG

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"Logwood trees" have made their appearance a couple of times in pirate books I have been reading (especially William Dampier), but without any explanation of what they actually were. So I got curious and looked them up.

I then found a rather interesting article about them. Although it is probably more interesting to a botanist, there is some discussion about the dye history and the relationship between logwood cutting and piracy that may interest people here.

I can't comment on the accuracy of the historical details, but the botany on this site is generally accurate.

Logwood and Brazilwood

Anyway, I don't know whether this is of interest to any of you, but combining piracy and botany makes me happy.

Thanks for the link! I'm not sure it's spot on for the dyeing information (some broad generalities, and the comment about the Redcoat coats is in error, the source for red depended on whose coat's we're talking about, officers or enlisted) But useful and interesting anyway.

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Logwood has one interesting piratical connection that comes to my mind. Captain Robert Searles, the English privateer who raided St. Augustine, Florida, came to a bad end in the logwood trade. He was hacked to death by another logwood cutter while on the coast of South America. Not a glamorous, Hollywood ending for a pirate, but probably not atypical.

Red Sea Trade

In days of old when ships were bold just like the men that sailed 'em,

and if they showed us disrespect we tied 'em up and flailed 'em,

often men of low degree and often men of steel,

they'd make you walk the plank alone or haul you 'round the keel.

--Adam and the Ants

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  • 10 months later...

While reading up on black fabric dyes, I found this other article re: the logwood adventure.

http://findarticles....ag=content;col1

(Published in 2006, Our Debt to the Logwood Tree: The History of Hematoxylin by Cristina Smith. it includes the previous article Logwood and Brazilwood as a reference.)

Edited by landlubbersanonymous
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Sorry if this is offtopic but plants are already here so... I have been immersed in Caribbean nature and found old interesting book http://www.wdl.org/e...group=1&page=35 it is from 17th century and it desripes nature of caribbean....

And if palms Interest someone wiki has sone good info

http://en.wikipedia....f_the_Caribbean

odd usually I don't find biology very interesting but if it is even a little bit pirate related then yes...

Edited by Swashbuckler 1700

"I have not yet Begun To Fight!"
John Paul Jones

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