Out for the visitor to look at (but not to sit on, alas) are Maloof's first sofa and some early chairs flagrantly Danish in inspiration, but lithe and lovely in walnut, maple and the occasional exotic hardwood and the prototype home-office furniture he fashioned for industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss.

WSJ: Sam Maloof | The House That Sam Built | Comfort and Joy | By Jeremy Hildreth

The LS 430, being the flagship, offers Lexus' most luxurious interior, complete with such amenities as a 14-way power-adjusted driver's seat, a leather and wood-trimmed shift knob, deep pile carpeting, vanity mirrors galore, lots of walnut or golden-eye maple, and a great (optional) navigation system.

FORBES: Test Drives

It's most common in hard maple, but also occurs in birch, ash and, in rare cases, black walnut.

NPR: Excerpt: 'A Splintered History Of Wood'

They can occur on any tree, anywhere, but are commonly found on elm, walnut, cherry, redwood and (again) our old friend and free-spirited, maple.

NPR: Excerpt: 'A Splintered History Of Wood'