Plasma is an energetic ionized gas consisting of atoms, molecules, ions, free radicals, electrons and metastable species’ that can chemically and physically modify materials. Plasma etching of microstructural features on silicon has been critical to the development of revolutionary technologies such as integrated circuits, micro-machines (MEMS), and optical devices. Plasma etching of other materials such as metals and glass is also used commercially. In this seminar, I describe our research on plasma etching of wood beginning with early research, which showed that the aromatic matrix polymer lignin is more resistant to plasma etching that cellulose. Preferential removal of cellulose from wood cell walls has made it possible to see the complex spatial distribution of lignin in wood cell walls. I also describe more recent research that has focused on high-energy plasma modification of wood. This research has created a super-black material, which we have termed Nxylon, a neologism created from Nyx (Greek goddess of the night) and xylon (Greek for wood materials). Nxylon has reflectivity averaging 0.68% and its super-black colour is retained when it is sputter coated with gold indicating structural colouration. Nxylon is made from a sustainable material, and its manufacture is simple, liquid free, and industrially scalable, unlike many other super-black materials made from vertically aligned forests of carbon nanotubes. Plasma etching of fibrous tissues increases the prominence of rays and the aesthetic appeal of some wood species. We anticipate that our findings will lead to significant interest in plasma etching as a way of creating novel wood materials, leading to commercial applications of the technology.