Bogwood

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Bogwood is wood preserved in a bog due to anaerobic conditions. Usually bogwood is stained brown by organic matter (tannins) present in the bog.

[edit] Uses of bogwood

• Bogwood can remain in bogs for hundreds of years and so is of use in dendrochronology.
• Some bogwoods have an interesting shape (similar to driftwood) and as such find use as ornaments. Additionally bogwood has been utilised for carving, taking advantage of its natural shape. As bogwood dries out, it can crack or split, but this does not necessarily detract from the aesthetic qualities of a bogwood sculpture.
• Bogwood oftens finds use in aquaria as an ornament that provides hiding places for fish and a growing surface for plants such as Java fern. Additionally, the leeching of organic compounds such as tannins into the water causes a brown colouration and increased acidity as well as softening of hard waters, an action similar to that of peat. This is highly desirable in some freshwater aquaria.

[edit] See also

• Driftwood
• Mopani wood, recovered from deserts and often sold as an alternative to bogwood; it is sometimes incorrectly labelled as bogwood or charred bogwood.
• Aquarium substrates

[edit] External links

• Image of 5000 year old bogwood recovered from an Irish bog as well as bog images
• Irish Peatland Conservation Council - Information sheet on bogwood and its formation in Irish peat bogs.