Wood Species Guide

Ambrosia Maple

Acer spp. (usually red or silver maple)

Also called: Wormy Maple, Wormy Soft Maple, Ambrosia Soft Maple, Ambrosia Red Maple

Ambrosia maple is soft maple with a story: tiny beetles bored into the tree and their fungus painted gray and tan streaks through the pale wood. The result is a lively, rustic slab that looks great under clear finish or paired with dark epoxy.
DomesticHardwoodMaples
Good forTabletops & SlabsRiver TablesTurning

About the name “Ambrosia Maple”

Ambrosia maple is not a separate species. It is soft maple, usually red or silver maple, that was bored by ambrosia beetles. The beetles carry a fungus that leaves the gray, tan and blue streaks around each tiny hole.

What Ambrosia Maple looks like

Creamy pale maple with streaks of gray, brown, tan and sometimes blue-green radiating from small beetle holes. No two boards are alike, and the streaking is the whole point.

Grain and texture

The fine, even texture of soft maple, dotted with pin-sized holes left by the beetles. Hardness is that of the underlying maple, roughly 700 to 950 lbf on the Janka scale.

Working Ambrosia Maple: planing, cutting and gluing

Machines like soft maple. The beetle holes don't weaken it in a meaningful way, but they do catch finish and dust, so blow them out before finishing. Expect occasional tearout around the streaks; finish with a sander.

Finishing Ambrosia Maple: oil, film finishes and epoxy

A clear oil or water-based finish keeps the contrast crisp; oil warms it toward amber. For epoxy tops, seal coat first, because every pin hole is an air pocket that will bubble. Many customers fill the holes with clear or tinted epoxy for a smooth, glassy surface.

Durability, stability and Florida humidity

The beetles are long gone once lumber is kiln dried, which is how we sell it. Like other soft maple it is not decay resistant and moves moderately. In Florida, acclimate indoors and finish both sides.

Shop notes from our Fort Myers shop

Ambrosia maple is one of our most popular slab species and we usually have a good selection. It makes striking dining tables, desks and floating shelves, and it pairs well with black or dark-tinted epoxy that echoes the streaks. Plan on a seal coat plus a flood coat if you want the holes filled. Each slab's streaking is unique, so come see them in person if you can.

Common uses for Ambrosia Maple

Live-edge tables and desks, river tables, shelves, cabinets, cutting boards, and rustic or farmhouse furniture.

Sustainability and CITES status

Soft maple is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List. Ambrosia figure comes from naturally infested trees, so it uses wood that once would have been downgraded.

Safety and toxicity

Our toxicity rating ModerateWhat the ratings mean
  • Sensitizer (allergy builds with exposure)
  • Skin irritation
  • Respiratory / asthma

Maples can irritate skin and airways and occasionally cause allergy. Beetle-stained and spalted wood adds fungal dust, and a mold found on maple can cause a serious lung reaction in heavy exposure.

In the shop
Dust collection + respirator (not just a mask) when sanding; gloves for sensitive skin
Food contact
Use with care for cutting boards, bowls and utensils

General information, not medical advice. See a doctor if you have a reaction.

Same as soft maple: the dust can irritate skin and airways. Use dust collection and a mask.

Wood toxicity and dust safety guide: every species compared

Ambrosia Maple in stock now

Live edge slabs in stock (20)Hardwood lumber in stock (1)

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Similar woods: Maples

See the Maples group guide

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