I would take a look at what you have compared to Quartersawn Sycamore. Not only it looks very similar and has the same checkerboard pattern and is very common to be mistaken with maple.

Yes, anatomical characteristics influence all wood properties, and so do ecological variations within the same species. That is why knowledge about wood anatomy is so important for all activities that use wood as a raw material.
There are numerous articles showing these correlations to different propositus.

Thanks for taking the time to respond, Eric. I appreciate it. Certainly plenty of poplar and cottonwood around here (Williamsburg, VA). Was thinking it might be Black Tupelo, but poplar would make sense too given where I found it.

I’m guessing probably something on this page: https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/poplar-cottonwood-and-aspen-whats-what/ Some of these woods can be VERY hard to tell apart though.

I am posting another 2 samples of a species and I was wondering if these could be genus Dalbergia (Palissander, Rosewood), Teak or another genus.

Thanks again for any help!

If you have any idea of this 2 species?
Could it be genus Dalbergia (Palissander, Rosewood) or Teak?

Thank you in advance.

Have a look at this page: https://www.wood-database.com/locust-osage-and-mulberry/

Surprising to hear from Eric that sanding is actually effective. I did not try sanding while preparing one specimen for identification, assuming that it would not work. What did work, after verifying that my plane irons were sharp and still getting lackluster results, was using a sharp chisel. Bevel-up of course, sometimes having to lift a few degrees to get it to actually bite.