Many species of Dalbergia are important
timber trees, valued for their decorative and often fragrant
wood, rich in aromatic oils. The most famous of these are the
rosewoods, so-named because of the smell of the timber when cut, but several other valuable woods are yielded by the genus.
Species such as Dalbergia nigra known as Rio, Bahia, Brazilian rosewood, palisander de Rio Grande, or jacaranda and Dalbergia latifolia known as (East) Indian Rosewood or Sonokeling have been heavily used in furniture given their colour and grain. Several East Asian species are important materials in traditional
Chinese furniture.
The (Brazilian)
tulipwood (D. decipularis) is cream coloured with red or salmon stripes. It is most often used in crossbanding and other veneers; it should not be confused with the "tulipwood" of the American tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera, used in inexpensive cabinetwork.
The similarly used (but purple with darker stripes), and also Brazilian,
kingwood is yielded by D. cearensis. Both are smallish to medium-sized trees, to 10 m. Another notable timber is
cocobolo, mainly from D. retusa, a Central American timber with spectacular decorative orange red figure on freshly cut surfaces which slowly fades in air to more subdued tones and hues.
Dalbergia sissoo (Indian rosewood) is primarily used for furniture in northern India. Its export is highly regulated due to recent high rates of tree death due to unknown causes.[clarification needed][citation needed]Dalbergia sissoo has historically been the primary rosewood species of northern India. This wood is strong and tough, with color golden to dark brown. It is extremely durable and handsome, and it maintains its shape well. It can be easily seasoned. It is difficult to work, but it takes a fine polish. It is used for high quality furniture, plywoods, bridge piles, sporting goods, and railway sleepers. It is a very good material for decorative work and carvings. Its density is 770 kg/m3.
Dalbergia species are used as food plants by the
larvae of some
Lepidoptera species including Bucculatrix mendax which feeds exclusively on Dalbergia sissoo.
The Dalbergia species are notorious for causing allergic reactions due to the presence of sensitizing
quinones in the wood.
Conservation
All Dalbergia species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (
CITES).[9] All but Dalbergia nigra are listed in Appendix II, with D.nigra listed in Appendix I.
Species
Dalbergia comprises the following species:[10][11]
Dalbergia nigra (Vell.) Benth. — Bahia rosewood, Brazilian rosewood, Cabiuna, Caviuna, Jacarandá, Jacarandá de Brasil, Palisander, Palisandre da Brésil, Pianowood, Rio rosewood, Rosewood, Obuina
^
ab"Genus: Dalbergia L. f."Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2007-10-05. Archived from
the original on 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2010-11-26.
^Lavin M; Pennington RT; Klitgaard BB; Sprent JI; de Lima HC; Gasson PE (2001). "The dalbergioid legumes (Fabaceae): delimitation of a pantropical monophyletic clade". Am J Bot. 88 (3): 503–33.
doi:
10.2307/2657116.
JSTOR2657116.
PMID11250829.
^Miočenna flóra z lokalit Kalonda a Mučin, Jana Kučerová, ACTA GEOLOGICA SLOVACA, ročnic 1, 1, 2009, str. 65-70.
^Distribution of Legumes in the Tertiary of Hungary by L. Hably, Advances in Legume Systematics: Part 4, The Fossil Record, Ed. P.S. Herendeen & Dilcher, 1992, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,
ISBN0 947643 40 0
^The Megafossil Legumes from China by Gao Shuang-Xing & Zhou Zhe-Kun,
Advances in Legume Systematics: Part 4, The Fossil Record, Ed. P.S. Herendeen & Dilcher, 1992, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,
ISBN0 947643 40 0
^"Appendices I, II and III". Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. 2010-10-14. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
^"ILDIS LegumeWeb entry for Dalbergia". International Legume Database & Information Service. Cardiff School of Computer Science & Informatics. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
Many species of Dalbergia are important
timber trees, valued for their decorative and often fragrant
wood, rich in aromatic oils. The most famous of these are the
rosewoods, so-named because of the smell of the timber when cut, but several other valuable woods are yielded by the genus.
Species such as Dalbergia nigra known as Rio, Bahia, Brazilian rosewood, palisander de Rio Grande, or jacaranda and Dalbergia latifolia known as (East) Indian Rosewood or Sonokeling have been heavily used in furniture given their colour and grain. Several East Asian species are important materials in traditional
Chinese furniture.
The (Brazilian)
tulipwood (D. decipularis) is cream coloured with red or salmon stripes. It is most often used in crossbanding and other veneers; it should not be confused with the "tulipwood" of the American tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera, used in inexpensive cabinetwork.
The similarly used (but purple with darker stripes), and also Brazilian,
kingwood is yielded by D. cearensis. Both are smallish to medium-sized trees, to 10 m. Another notable timber is
cocobolo, mainly from D. retusa, a Central American timber with spectacular decorative orange red figure on freshly cut surfaces which slowly fades in air to more subdued tones and hues.
Dalbergia sissoo (Indian rosewood) is primarily used for furniture in northern India. Its export is highly regulated due to recent high rates of tree death due to unknown causes.[clarification needed][citation needed]Dalbergia sissoo has historically been the primary rosewood species of northern India. This wood is strong and tough, with color golden to dark brown. It is extremely durable and handsome, and it maintains its shape well. It can be easily seasoned. It is difficult to work, but it takes a fine polish. It is used for high quality furniture, plywoods, bridge piles, sporting goods, and railway sleepers. It is a very good material for decorative work and carvings. Its density is 770 kg/m3.
Dalbergia species are used as food plants by the
larvae of some
Lepidoptera species including Bucculatrix mendax which feeds exclusively on Dalbergia sissoo.
The Dalbergia species are notorious for causing allergic reactions due to the presence of sensitizing
quinones in the wood.
Conservation
All Dalbergia species are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (
CITES).[9] All but Dalbergia nigra are listed in Appendix II, with D.nigra listed in Appendix I.
Species
Dalbergia comprises the following species:[10][11]
Dalbergia nigra (Vell.) Benth. — Bahia rosewood, Brazilian rosewood, Cabiuna, Caviuna, Jacarandá, Jacarandá de Brasil, Palisander, Palisandre da Brésil, Pianowood, Rio rosewood, Rosewood, Obuina
^
ab"Genus: Dalbergia L. f."Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2007-10-05. Archived from
the original on 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2010-11-26.
^Lavin M; Pennington RT; Klitgaard BB; Sprent JI; de Lima HC; Gasson PE (2001). "The dalbergioid legumes (Fabaceae): delimitation of a pantropical monophyletic clade". Am J Bot. 88 (3): 503–33.
doi:
10.2307/2657116.
JSTOR2657116.
PMID11250829.
^Miočenna flóra z lokalit Kalonda a Mučin, Jana Kučerová, ACTA GEOLOGICA SLOVACA, ročnic 1, 1, 2009, str. 65-70.
^Distribution of Legumes in the Tertiary of Hungary by L. Hably, Advances in Legume Systematics: Part 4, The Fossil Record, Ed. P.S. Herendeen & Dilcher, 1992, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,
ISBN0 947643 40 0
^The Megafossil Legumes from China by Gao Shuang-Xing & Zhou Zhe-Kun,
Advances in Legume Systematics: Part 4, The Fossil Record, Ed. P.S. Herendeen & Dilcher, 1992, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,
ISBN0 947643 40 0
^"Appendices I, II and III". Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. 2010-10-14. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
^"ILDIS LegumeWeb entry for Dalbergia". International Legume Database & Information Service. Cardiff School of Computer Science & Informatics. Retrieved 6 February 2014.