Mappa Burl is wood, usually made into a veneer, from the knotty growths on Black Poplar trees. It is a peculiar wood that is highly prized for its beauty and rarity. Popular in furniture, car and airplane interiors, and drum shells, this light brown veneer with spots of reddish brown and black is known for its unique ingrown bark, which sets it apart from more traditional burls. The Black Poplar is an endangered wood that grows in alluvial forests. It is critical to our planet in that it removes heavy metals from the soil. Physicians as far back as Galen in the second century AD have used its healing properties to eliminate toxins, fight inflammation, and lower fevers.
Greek mythology tells the story of Phaeton who flew his father’s chariot too close to the sun and was punished by a lightning bolt from Zeus. Phaeton’s sisters, the Heliades, were so grief-stricken that they turned into black poplars.