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Different Pithy Woods Found in Georgia

To the writer, pith is the core or heart of an idea or a concept. Botanists know pith as the central portion of a tree trunk. The pith consists of spongy tissue cells, known as the medulla. Most trees contain a small pithy core surrounded by heartwood. However, a few trees, such as palms, grow in Georgia and are distinguished by a pithy trunk or main stem.

Palms and Pithy Wood
- Flowering plants are divided into two major groups, monocots and dicots. These groupings are based on whether the first embryonic leaves, known as cotyledons, are single or grow in a pair.
  
  Monocots, which include many orchids, lilies and palms, usually grow as herbaceous shrubs. However, a few of the plants, such as the palms, can grow in tree form. Contrary to the dicots, palms have pithy stems. Several palms are native to coastal Georgia, including the evergreen dwarf palmetto, Sabal minor. Like most members of the palm family, this plant has a pithy main stem.
Cabbage Palm
- The cabbage palm, Sabal palmetto, is the tallest of the Georgia palms. The plant thrives from Florida northward to the southeastern tip of North Carolina. In Georgia, the cabbage palmetto, as it is sometimes called, can be found in the expansive prairie and shrub communities that exist just inland from the coastal beach dunes. This small tree can reach 50 feet in height and often grows next to brackish water, as it can tolerate flooding and salt spray. The palm is also a popular ornamental, and like the other members of the palm family, has a pithy core.
Staghorn Sumac
- Rhus typhina, or staghorn sumac, is one of several sumac species that grow in Georgia. This woody perennial, which may reach a height of 30 feet, grows commonly in open fields and roadsides throughout the foothills and Piedmont region of the Peach State. The tree is noted for its clusters of red berries, which stay on the tree all summer, and bright red autumn leaves that light the October countryside. The wood of this tree is very soft, and small pithy twigs release a milky sap when cut.
Elderberry
- Several species of elderberry are native to North America, including the common elderberry, Sambucus canadensis, which can be found in well-drained forests throughout Georgia. Native Americans and early settlers used the purplish berries as a source of food and medicine. The wood of this Georgia species is a valuable source of pithy stems that can be hollowed out to make blowguns and musical instruments.

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