Rosewood:
- This article is about rosewood timber. For other uses, see Rosewood (disambiguation).
Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining but found in many different hues. All rosewoods are strong and heavy, taking an excellent polish, being suitable for flooring, furniture, turnery, musical instruments, billiard cues, and chess sets (the black pieces). In general, supplies are poor through overexploitation. Some species become canopy trees (up to 30 m high), and large pieces can occasionally be found in the trade.
[edit] Classification
All genuine rosewoods belong to the genus Dalbergia. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated in the western world is Dalbergia nigra, Brazilian Rosewood is (now a CITES-listed endangered species). It is also known as Rio rosewood or Bahia rosewood. This wood has a strong sweet smell, which persists over the years, explaining the name "rosewood".
Another classic rosewood is Dalbergia latifolia known as (East) Indian rosewood or sonokeling. Note that not all species in the large genus Dalbergia yield rosewoods, but only about a dozen species. They can be found in tropical America, Southeast Asia, and Madagascar. The woods of some other species in the genus Dalbergia are notable, even famous, woods in their own right: African Blackwood, cocobolo, kingwood, and tulipwood. The Indian souvenir trade tries to sell objects made of Dalbergia sissoo (sometimes stained purple) as if they were rosewood. The wood of some other species is usable for toolhandles at best.
[edit] Forgeries
The timber trade will sell many timbers under the name 'rosewood' (with an adjective) due to some (outward) similarity. A fair number of these timbers come from other legume genera; one such species that is often mentioned is Machaerium scleroxylon.
Genuine rosewood exports from South America are relatively few due to their short supply: imports of Dalbergia nigra require CITES-papers.
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