The bark of Faurea saligna, the bosveldboekenhout is dark, grey to almost black, rough and deeply longitudinally fissured. Upper branches droop, reminding of a willow, after which the tree was named (the meaning of saligna is Salix-like). Faurea is, however, a genus within the Proteaceae family.
The wood is durable, pale yellowish to red, valued for cabinet making. A red dye can be obtained from soaking the wood in water. It has been used as fence posts, the wood being termite resistant. The tree is moderately fire resistant. Dry branches make good firewood (Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; Wikipedia).