This suggestion is to have a goal of adding trees with planks of all the colors, how they could be implemented, and where they could go. I came up with this idea because of people asking for the ability to dye or paint wood, but I thought it would bring more interest to the world of Minecraft overall to add them in the form of new trees. If there is a specific aspect that you don’t like, feel free to bring it up for discussion.
To make the brighter colors more palatable, it would make sense for them to be slightly muted compared to the pure colors on items such as concrete and wool. This would also give builders more tones to work with overall. Some trees with interesting and unique forms should follow the natural tree (eg. Redwood, Quaking Aspen). Others with a more typical form could be more creatively designed to be a unique tree. I hope you can consult some of the amazing custom tree builders out there for the designs of the trees.
All of these trees are suggestions. The base idea of adding woods for all the colors is more important than any individual tree suggestion. However, I really like some of the details, like having Maple and Aspen be in a new fall themed biome and display their fall colors.
Trees that already exist or could be based on a real tree:
- Brown – Probably already covered by dark oak. However, there would be nothing wrong with adding a new tree with a different tone of brown. Black Poplar (Populus nigra) doesn’t actually fit the role well in terms of the shade of its wood, but the dark gray bark would match well with a duskier brown than the dark oak. It would work well as a new swamp tree since it likes wet environments, and the color would fit the atmosphere well. It would also be a useful tree to add since it has fluffy, cottony seeds that it could drop. These could be crafted into string and be a pacifist source of string.
- Orange – Possibly covered by acacia. Otherwise, Redwood would be an interesting new large tree to add to the game. The bark is an interesting brownish orange hue, and the wood inside could be made to be orange. Redwood would be a 3x3 or a rounded 4x4 tree and should probably be a new biome. They would be incredibly tall, which is fitting for their inspiration.
- Red – There is a tree that is called bloodwood (Brosimum paraense) that has a strikingly red colored wood. However, it might fit better in the Nether because it would fit the theme of the biome. If in the overworld, it is a tropical tree, and so should be in the Jungle Biome. The bark might look best as a maroon.
- Black – Ebony wood (Diospyros crassiflora) would be the obvious choice here. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) can also be very dark and could probably work for a true black wood because of its name, but I would hope you would include a walnut item if you used it. Either way, it should probably have a dark gray bark that would go well with the black wood. Ebony would go in the Jungle biome, and Black Walnut likes rivers, and so could be a unique tree for the river biome. Mature Black Walnut trees tend to have a bit of a gnarled appearance, so if possible, the tree should reflect that. (Black Walnut would also be an option for brown)
- White – Maple wood can be very pale and could probably be lightened slightly into a true white wood. The maple would also be a lovely tree to add to the game, especially if it displayed its vivid red fall foliage. Maple bark tends to be a light gray color. It could be a part of a new fall biome with the Aspen, the option for the light gray wood. You might also add the ability to harvest maple syrup from this tree. Maples tend to have a ball-like or spreading canopy, although they can also be tall and roughly triangular in shape. I did not give a scientific name for the maple because I’m taking inspiration from maples in general, rather than one specific tree.
- Light Gray – Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) would have a pale bark and light gray wood. The leaves turn a stunning shade of yellow in the fall, and as such it could be part of a new fall biome with the Maple. It is a very slender tree in form, with leaves that cling close to the main trunk.
- Gray – Dead tree. Gray wood is most often seen in old, weathered wood. As such, it might make the most sense to make it come from a dead tree. To allow it to be farmed, dead trees would have a scattering of brown leaf blocks with a very high chance of dropping a sapling (it should probably average at least two per tree, just to be safe). The bark should probably be grayish as well to match the wood and give the tree a nice, spooky feeling. It would add amazing atmosphere in the swamp.
- Yellow – Yellowheart (Euxylophora paraensis) fits this color perfectly. It is from Brazil, and so should probably go in the Jungle. The bark seems to be a yellowish tan, which would look nice with the wood.
- Magenta – Purpleheart (Peltogyne spp) wood has a strikingly magenta shade. It is also a rainforest tree, and so would go in the Jungle Biome. The bark on the real tree seems to be relatively normal and boring, so perhaps the bark on the tree in the game could be a purplish brown color to make it more unique and interesting. (something like how unprocessed purpleheart wood looks, as it seems to need a finish to bring out its color) It is also known as Violetwood, which might be less confusing of a name since there would be a different wood that is “purple”.
- Pink - Pink Ivory (Rhamnus zeyheri) is a lovely shade of pink. Another option that would satisfy a lot of players would be to give cherry trees pink wood and pink flowers instead of leaves. The bark color could either be white or a pale pink, as either would look nice in context. As a flowering tree, it would make sense to add it to the flower forest.
I used this site as a reference for wood colors: http://piecesofwood.com/woods.html
Because of the number of trees that would go into the Jungle biome, they would be relatively rare compared to jungle wood trees. How rare depends on what seems to fit in the game, but there should probably be at least a handful of each kind in every reasonably sized Jungle biome.
The remaining colors—Cyan, Lime, Light Blue, Purple, Blue, and Green—could be in a new “magical forest” biome and would not be based on real trees. Personally, I am pleasantly surprised at the suite of colors that are the “leftovers” because I think they will go together amazingly in a strange forest. There should be a variety of shapes and sizes to the trees to add to the special feeling of the biome. Similarly, colorful leaves should be considered for these magical trees. The bark should complement the color of the wood. Either a lighter or a darker shade related to the wood color would make sense, but I leave the specifics to people with better artistic sensibilities than I do. At least one of these trees should be similar to the form of a willow. Grass and other plants should probably also be an odd shade. Any other fantasy or magic related idea could be considered as an addition to this biome. This would be a relatively rare biome. (I would give specific possibilities for these trees, but this post is already over 1,300 words)
Another option for these would be as a part of a new dimension. I can expand on this idea in a new post if people seem to like it better than having a biome of odd colored trees. It would not just be a dimension that has crazy trees.
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