Tamarind is a massive leguminous tree that produces a pod-like fruit and is native to tropical Africa. This fruit is used extensively in cooking and in natural medicine. The wood is hard and strong, the sapwood (outer layer of the tree) is pale-yellow, and takes a good polish. Because the wood is strong and durable it is often used for furniture, planking on boats, and tool handles. The wood can often be spalted. Spalted wood is wood that was in the process of rotting and had a bunch of fungi in the wood. The fungi makes lines pen-like black lines in Tamarind and results in some wild looking figure. The Spalted Tamarind I use came from a well-known wood turner located on the Big Island of Hawaii.