some famous wands and their characteristics

Delacour, Fleur: rosewood, 9 1/2 ", inflexible, veela hair (GF18)
The hair in Fleur's wand was from her grandmother, who was a Veela.

Diggory, Cedric: pleasantly springy, 12 1/4", single unicorn hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn
See note below on Cedric's wand core. Cedric, who is friendly and unassuming, carries a wand which is described as "pleasant."

Granger, Hermione's wand: vine wood, dragon heartstring
Rowling chose vine wood (WEB LINKJKR) for Hermione because it is the wood associated with her birthday in Celtic lore.

Hagrid, Rubeus: oak, 16", rather bendy
The oak tree is considered to be the "king of the forest," according to British lore. It is known for its strength. (WEB LINKJKR)

Krum, Viktor: hornbeam, 10 1/4", quite rigid, dragon's heartstring
Krum's wand was made by Gregorovich, not Ollivander. Krum's stiff, gruff manner is reflected in his wand being "quite rigid."

Longbottom, Neville's wands:
first one (obtained prior to September 1991 [Y11], broken June 1996 [Y16])
new one (July 1996 [Y16]) cherry, unicorn hair
Neville's original wand was his father's old wand and meant a great deal to his grandmother Augusta (his father's mother). This wand was broken by Antonin Dolohov during the battle of the Department of Mysteries in June 1996 [Y16].

Potter, Harry: holly, 11", supple, single phoenix tail feather (from Fawkes)
According to European tradition, the holly tree repels evil. The name "holly" is derived from the work "holy." (WEB LINKJKR)

Potter, James: mahoghany, 11", pliable (excellent for transfiguration)
It makes sense that a wand good for transfiguration would be "pliable," which means that it can be molded and shaped.

Potter, Lily Evans: willow, 10 1/4", swishy (nice wand for charm work, according to Ollivander) (PS5)

Riddle, Tom Marvolo (Voldemort): yew, 13 1/2", single phoenix tail feather (also from Fawkes)
Harry's and Voldemort's wands are "brothers" because they have cores of not only the same substance but from exactly the same source. When they are forced to fight each other, the Priori Incantatem effect is produced. Yew trees are known for their long lives. They symbolize death, but also resurrection. (WEB LINKJKR)

Umbridge, Dolores' wand
While not identified specifically, Umbridge's wand was described as "unusually short." Umbridge herself is unusually short, and perhaps her wand's characterisitcs suggest that her magical ability comes up wanting as well. We never do see her perform any particularly effective magic spells, after all.

Weasley, Ron's wands:
first one (obtained August 1991 [Y11], broken 1st September 1992 [Y12]): ash
new one (31st August, 1993 [Y13]): willow, 14", unicorn tail hair (PA3)
Ron's original wand was a hand-me-down from his older brother Charlie. It was made of ash (see note). This wand broke when the flying Anglia crashed into the Whomping Willow on the 1st of September, 1996 [Y12].

NOTES:
Unicorn tail hairs
Cedric, Neville, and Ron all have wands with unicorn tail hairs in them. This is a bit disturbing because of the following exchange from PS15:

"Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt -- you seen anythin'?"
Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again.
"Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now."

Cedric, like the unicorn, has already died. Is Ron or Neville next?

Confusion about Ron's wand
The book states that Ron's wand is made of willow (PA3). On her website, however, Rowling said that Ron's wand was made of ash.

The willow wand is the second wand, the wand that was specifically purchased for him with part of Mr Weasley's winnings from the Daily Prophet contest. As for Ron's original wand, Rowling said the following on her website:

I gave Harry a wand made of holly wood back in 1990, when I first drafted chapter six of Philosopher's Stone...Some time after I had given Harry his holly-and-phoenix wand I came across a description of how the Celts had assigned trees to different parts of the year and discovered that, entirely by coincidence, I had assigned Harry the "correct" wood for his day of birth. I therefore decided to give Ron and Hermione Celtic wand woods, too. Ron, who was born in the February 18 - March 17 period, was given an ash wand (I think I had originally marked him down for beech)...

Rowling is talking about the time before the first book was finished, when she was planning the series. So she is saying that the wand Ron had at the beginning of the stories was made of ash. This was the wand that broke at the beginning of book two and which was replaced at the beginning of book three with a wand made of willow.

The Rowan tree has been considered magickal for thousands of years by many different cultures. One of the earliest references to the Rowan is in the ancient Finnish creation myth about the goddess "Rauni." According to this myth, the earth was barren and devoid of all plants when she came down from heaven and took the form of a Rowan tree. After Rauni ("Rowan?") had intercourse with Ukko, the God of Thunder, the result of their union was the creation of all the plants of the earth. According to this ancient creation myth, then, all plants and trees are descended from the Rowan tree as a result of it having been struck by a mighty bolt of magical lightening.

Rowan trees were said to guard against the evil effects of "black" witchcraft. Berries were sometimes strung like beads and hung as a necklace around the neck of a supposed victim of sorcery. Some believed that one way to protect your soul from the devil was to touch a witch with a branch from a Rowan tree. Then, if the devil came demanding a soul, the witch would be taken instead. A cross carved from Rowan was sometimes placed above a child's cradle to protect it from bewitchment or from being stolen by faeries. These crosses were traditionally renewed each May Day. It was believed that the power of the Rowan was particularly potent if the person making the charm had never seen the tree before cutting the wood.

The Graveyard Tree, which can live 'forever'

The Yew, which once was probably once the dominant forest tree in Europe is now most familiar to us as "the graveyard tree". The poet Tennyson echoed the old belief in Brittany, that the roots of the tree reach out to the mouth of every corps when he wrote:

Old Yew, which graspest at the stones
That name the under-lying dead,
Thy fibres net the dreamless head,
Thy roots are wrapt about the bones.

The people of Selborne were able to see this with their own eyes, when the ancient yew in St. Mary's churchyard blew over in a terrible gale at then end of January, 1990. It exposed quite a few bones, some of which were tangled up in the root ball. I guess that they may well have grown in and out of skulls, being a bone with several orifices, as was the belief in Brittany. Archeologists were called in to collect these human remains to protect them from dogs and other creatures on the prowl. They were allowed to use this rare opportunity for an archeological dig, after which the rudely disturbed skeletons would be reburied. It was established that the remains of as many as 30 people had been resting beneath the mass of roots.
There has been much heated discussion and many opinions expressed as to why the Yew is so often found in churchyards. Some say it is the deep-dark green, almost eerie and shady presence of the tree. Other say because it is the tree of death, due to its poisonous chemistry, or that it was put in churchyards, where it would not be accessible to life-stock to grow wood for longbows. Christian scholars have associated it with Christ as 'the tree of the cross' or with the theme of resurrection.
However, the evidence is now overwhelming that the Yew was the archetype of "The Tree of Life" to people all over Europe eons before Christ was born.
A tree of the Yew family (which is itself at least 200 million years old) is the one living creature who, 'barring acts of God or man', is biologically able to live indefinitely: forever! It is difficult to imagine for us, for whom 80 years of consciousness is a long, long time, what it is like to be a Yew. It is not surprising therefore that, for long millennia, visionary and sensitive people have turned to the Yew sensing it can teach us about eternity and immortality and that its Spirit is, in spite of its toxicity as a plant substance, a miraculously healing Spirit. The Yew has served the Earth since prehistory and it has always served us as human beings by providing a Spiritual presence, which is as close as we can get, in tangible physical matter, to the concept of God and Eternity.

http://www.the-tree.org.uk/BritishTrees/

HOLLY
A beautiful white wood with an almost invisible grain; looks very much like ivory. Holly is associated with the death and rebirth symbolism of winter in both Pagan and Christian lore and is important to the Winter Solstice. In Arthurian legend, Gawain (representing the Oak King of summer) fought the Green Knight, who was armed with a holly club to represent winter. It is one of the three timbers used in the construction of chariot wheel shafts. It was used in spear shafts also. The qualities of a spear shaft are balance and directness, as the spear must be hefted to be thrown the holly indicates directed balance and vigour to fight if the cause is just. Holly may be used in spells having to do with sleep or rest, and to ease the passage of death. A bag of leaves and berries carried by a man is said to increase his ability to attract women.

WILLOW
Also known as White Willow, Tree of Enchantment and Witches' Asprin. Once of the seven sacred trees of the Irish, a Druid sacred Tree. The willow is a Moon tree sacred to the White Lady, Its groves were considered so magickal that priests, priestesses and all types of artisans sat among these trees to gain eloquence, inspiration, skills and prophecies. For a wish to be granted, ask permission of the willow, explaining your desire. Select a pliable shoot and tie a loose knot in it while expressing what you want. When the wish is fulfilled. return and untie the knot. Remember to thank the willow and leave a gift.

The Willow has applications in magick done for enchantment, wishing, romantic love, healing, protection, fertility, magick for women, death, femininity, love, divination, friendship, joy, love, and peace. Placed in homes, Willow branches protect against evil and malign sorcery. Carried, Willow wood will give bravery, dexterity, and help one overcome the fear of death. If you knock on a Willow tree (knock on wood) this will avert evil. A Willow tree growing near a home will protect it from danger (I know this to be true. When the tornado hit our farm, the only reason we only lost part of the roof, rather than the whole house, was because the grove of Willows around the house protected us. Our poor Willows got pretty battered by the storm, lost most of their leaves and quite a few branches, but have recovered fully now!). Willows are also a good tree to plant around cemeteries and also for lining burial graves for its symbolism of death and protection. Willows can be used in rituals for intuition, knowledge, gentle nurturing, and will elucidate the feminine qualities of both men and women. If a person needs to get something off their chest or to share a secret, if they confess to a Willow, their secret will be trapped. Also, wishes are granted by a Willow tree if they are asked for in the correct manner. Willow leaves, bark and wood add energy to healing magick, and burning a mix of Willow bark and sandalwood during the waning moon can help to conjure spirits. Uses of Willow in love talismans include using the leaves to attract love. Willow leaves or twigs can also be used in spells to create loyalty, make friendship pacts, treaties, or alliances. A rejected lover can wear Willow as a charm to win back the love. To determine if you will be married in the new year.

COMMON: Willow-tree-people are very close to nature; and like the tree loves the water, the person has to be in a constant flow as well. Willows love the challenge and their way of testing their own borders. Their self-image is connected with their border experiences. They love harmony and quite often they gain their well-being with luxury; although they are normally rather undemanding.
STRENGTH: The strenght of the willow tree is their easy access to their inner world. They have an unequaled sense for security and orientation. But they can still transfer the realizations to the outer world. Their toughness, tolerance and philantrophy makes it easy for them to have professional success.
WEAKNESS: The weakness of the willow lies in their sensivity. Even if their bark seem to be robust, a sensitive person is hiding behind. If a willow tree doesn't find a right field of action, they tend to flee from reality. Then they seem pessimistic and sarcastic.
LOVE: Willow-tree-people are sensitive and endearing partners. They don't dominate, but also don't tolerate dominance from others. They are longing for harmony and equality, they want unison in their feelings. With their simple and natural authority, they are a great support to weaker partners.

IVY / VINE - The Ivy was sacred to Osiris as well as to Dionysus. Vine and Ivy come next to each other at the turn of the year, and are jointly dedicated to resurrection. Presumably, this is because they are the only two trees that grow spirally. The Vine also symbolizes resurrection because its strength is preserved in the wine.
OCCULT ASPECTS: (VINE) Faerie work, Joy, Exhilaration, Wrath, Rebirth.(IVY) Fidelity, Constancy, Love, Intoxication

WILLOW - The Willow was sacred to Hecate, Circe, Hera, and Persephone, all death aspects of the Triple Moon Goddess, and was often used by the Witches in Greece. The moon owns it. Female symbol. It is the tree that loves water most and is sacred to the Moon Goddess who is the giver of dew and moisture, generally. The Willow is the tree of enchantment. Can be made into a tool to make wishes come true.
OCCULT PURPOSES: Moon magic, psychic energy, healing, inspiration, fertility

more on Lily's wand:


More evidence that Lily is the first White queen in Alchemy! The triple moon goddess! We spoke of that in length!

ASH - The Ash is sacred to Poseidon and Woden. The Ash is considered to be the father of trees. The Ash is the tree of sea power, or of the power resident in water. Special guardian spirits reside in the Ash; This makes it excellent for absorbing sickness. The spirally carved druidical wand was made of Ash for this purpose.
OCCULT ASPECTS: Sea power, karmic laws, magical potency, healing, [b]protection from drowning[/b]

Right you are TD!!
Holly is a perfect wood for Harry and it ties into the death rebirth theory we have tossed around since book 5.

The chariot is one of the most complex cards to define. On its most basic level, it implies war, a struggle, and an eventual, hard-won victory. Either over enemies, obstacles, nature, the beasts inside you, or to just get what you want. But there is a great deal more to it. The charioteer wears emblems of the sun, yet the sign behind this card is Cancer, the moon. The chariot is all about motion, and yet it is often shown as stationary.

The willow is an ancient tree and goes back as far as the Cretaceous Period

Its groves are considered magical that all types of artisans sat amoung the trees to gain eloquence, inspiration, skills and prophecies