''Pterocarpus'' is a

pantropical A pantropical ("all tropics") distribution is one which covers tropical regions of both the Eastern and Western hemispheres. Examples of species include caecilians, modern sirenians and the plant genera ''Acacia'' and ''Bacopa''. ''Neotropical' ...

tree

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

in the

Fabaceae Fabaceae () or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomen ...

family. It belongs to the subfamily

Faboideae The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae, or Papilionaceae when this group of plants is treated as a family. This subfamily is widely ...

, and was recently assigned to the informal

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

''Pterocarpus'' clade within the

Dalbergieae The tribe Dalbergieae is an early-branching clade within the flowering plant subfamily Faboideae (or Papilionaceae). Within that subfamily, it belongs to an unranked clade called the dalbergioids. It was recently revised to include many genera ...

. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' yield valuable timber traded as padauk (or padouk), usually pronounced or ; other common names are mukwa or narra. The west African species may be traded as African rosewood. '' P. santalinus'' also yields the most precious red sandalwood in China known as Zitan. The wood from the narra tree ('' P. indicus'') and the Burmese padauk tree ('' P. macrocarpus'') is marketed as amboyna when it has grown in the

burl A burl (American English) or burr (British English) is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from d ...

form. The

scientific name In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

ized

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

and means "wing fruit", referring to the unusual shape of the

seed pods This page provides a glossary of plant morphology. Botanists and other biologists who study plant morphology use a number of different terms to classify and identify plant organs and parts that can be observed using no more than a handheld magnify ...

in this genus.

Uses

Padauk wood is obtained from several

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of ''Pterocarpus''. All padauks are of African or Asian origin. Padauks are valued for their toughness, stability in use, and decorativeness, most having a reddish wood. Most
Pterocarpus
' woods contain either water- or alcohol-soluble substances and can be used as

dye Juan de Guillebon, better known by his stage name DyE, is a French musician. He is known for the music video of the single "Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical ele ...

s. The padauk found most often is African padauk from '' P. soyauxii'' which, when freshly cut, is a very bright red/orange but when exposed to sunlight fades over time to a warm brown. Its colour makes it a favourite among woodworkers. Burmese padauk (ပိတောက်) is '' P. macrocarpus'' while Andaman padauk is '' P. dalbergioides''. Padauks can be confused with true rosewoods to which they are somewhat related, but as a general rule padauks are coarser and less decorative in figure. Like rosewood, padauk is sometimes used to make

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Each bar is an idiophone tuned to a pitch of a musical scale, whether pentatonic or heptatonic in the case of many African ...

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

and

marimba The marimba ( ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the mari ...

keys, and guitars. It is an important material in traditional

Chinese furniture The forms of Chinese furniture evolved along three distinct lineages which date back to 1000 BC: ''frame and panel'', ''yoke and rack'' (based on post-and-rail seen in architecture) and ''bamboo'' construction techniques. Chinese home furni ...

Some padauks, e.g. ''P. soyauxii'', are used as

herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also called herbalism, phytomedicine or phytotherapy) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. Scientific evidence for the effectiveness of many herbal treatments ...

s, for example to treat skin parasites and fungal infections. Padauk wood is also used as a

spice In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...

, for example in

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

soused herring Soused herring is raw herring soaked in a mild preserving liquid. It can be raw herring in a mild vinegar pickle or Dutch brined herring. As well as vinegar, the marinade might contain cider, wine or tea, sugar, herbs (usually bay leaf), s ...

Chemistry

Pterocarpin Pterocarpin is a pterocarpan found in the Fabaceae species ''Baphia nitida'', '' Ononis viscosa subsp. breviflora'', ''Pterocarpus ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and ...

is a

pterocarpan Pterocarpans are derivatives of isoflavonoids found in the family Fabaceae. It is a group of compounds which can be described as benzo-pyrano-furano-benzenes (i.e. 6''H''- enzofuro

,2-c The comma is a punctuation mark that appears in several variants in different languages. Some typefaces render it as a small line, slightly curved or straight, but inclined from the vertical; others give it the appearance of a miniature fille ...

hromene skeleton) which can be formed by coupling of th ...

found in ''Pterocarpus'' spp.

Species

A total of 35

is currently accepted: * ''

Pterocarpus acapulcensis ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' yiel ...

'' Rose * '' Pterocarpus albopubescens'' Hauman * ''

Pterocarpus amazonum ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' yiel ...

'' (Benth.) Amshoff * ''

Pterocarpus angolensis ''Pterocarpus angolensis'' (African teak, wild teak, , , , , , , , Ndebele: Umvangazi, , ) is a species of ''Pterocarpus'' native to southern Africa, in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Co ...

'' DC.—

kiaat ''Pterocarpus angolensis'' (African teak, wild teak, , , , , , , , Ndebele: Umvangazi, , ) is a species of ''Pterocarpus'' native to southern Africa, in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of the Co ...

* '' Pterocarpus antunesii'' (Taub.) Harms * ''

Pterocarpus brenanii ''Pterocarpus brenanii'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is found in Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. References

Pterocarpus, brenanii Flora of Mozambique Flora of Zambia Flora of Zimbabwe Least concern plants ...

'' Barbosa & Torre * '' Pterocarpus claessensii'' De Wild. * ''

Pterocarpus dalbergioides ''Pterocarpus dalbergioides'', the Andaman padauk, Andaman redwood or East Indian mahogany, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is sometimes called "narra", but this is just a generic term used for any of several ''Pterocar ...

'' DC.— Andaman padauk, Andaman redwood, East Indian mahogany *''

Pterocarpus dubius ''Pterocarpus dubius'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae native to Venezuela, Guyana, and northern Brazil in northern South America. ''Pterocarpus dubius'' is a tree which grows up to 30 meters tall. It grows in semi-deciduo ...

'' – Venezuela, Guyana, and northern Brazil * ''

Pterocarpus echinatus ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' yiel ...

'' Pers. * ''

Pterocarpus erinaceus ''Pterocarpus erinaceus'' is an endangered tree species native to the Sahelian region of West Africa. It is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. It is used for fuel wood, fo ...

'' Poir.— muninga, barwood, vène * '' Pterocarpus gilletii'' De Wild. * '' Pterocarpus hockii'' De Wild. * ''

Pterocarpus homblei ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' yiel ...

'' De Wild. * ''

Pterocarpus indicus ''Pterocarpus indicus'' (commonly known as Amboyna wood, Malay padauk, Papua New Guinea rosewood, Philippine mahogany, Andaman redwood, Burmese rosewood, narra (from Tagalog) and asana in the Philippines, angsana, or Pashu padauk) is a species ...

'' Willd.—

Pashu padauk ''Pterocarpus indicus'' (commonly known as Amboyna wood, Malay padauk, Papua New Guinea rosewood, Philippine mahogany, Andaman redwood, Burmese rosewood, narra (from Tagalog) and asana in the Philippines, angsana, or Pashu padauk) is a species ...

, Malay padauk, New Guinea rosewood * ''

Pterocarpus lucens ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' yiel ...

'' Guill. & Perr. * ''

Pterocarpus macrocarpus ''Pterocarpus macrocarpus'', or Burma padauk, is a species of tree in the family ''Fabaceae''. It is native to the seasonal tropical forests of southeastern Asia: in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It has been naturalized in India ...

'' Kurz— Burmese padauk * ''

Pterocarpus marsupium ''Pterocarpus marsupium'', also known as Malabar kino or Indian kino, is a medium-to-large, deciduous tree that can grow up to tall. It is native to India (where it occurs in parts of the Western Ghats in the Karnataka-Kerala region and in the ...

'' Roxb.—

Indian kino ''Pterocarpus marsupium'', also known as Malabar kino or Indian kino, is a medium-to-large, deciduous tree that can grow up to tall. It is native to India (where it occurs in parts of the Western Ghats in the Karnataka-Kerala region and in the ...

, Malabar kino, benga, bijiayasal (w Nepal), venkai * '' Pterocarpus mildbraedii'' Harms * '' Pterocarpus mutondo'' De Wild. * ''

Pterocarpus officinalis ''Pterocarpus officinalis'', the dragonsblood tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to southern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. It is typically found in coastal freshwater or slig ...

'' Jacq. * ''

Pterocarpus orbiculatus ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyly, monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pteroca ...

'' DC. * '' Pterocarpus osun'' Craib * ''

Pterocarpus rohrii ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' yiel ...

'' Vahl * '' Pterocarpus rotundifolius'' (Sond.) Druce ** subsp. ''polyanthus'' (Harms) Mendonça & E. P. Sousa *** var. ''martinii'' (Dunkley) Mendonça & E. P. Sousa *** var. ''polyanthus'' (Harms) Mendonça & E. P. Sousa ** subsp. ''rotundifolius'' (Sond.) Druce * ''

Pterocarpus santalinoides ''Pterocarpus santalinoides'' is a tree species in the legume family (biology) (Fabaceae); it is locally known as ''mututi''. It has a remarkable bi-continental distribution, native to tropical western Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gam ...

'' DC.—

mututi ''Pterocarpus santalinoides'' is a tree species in the legume family (biology) (Fabaceae); it is locally known as ''mututi''. It has a remarkable bi-continental distribution, native to tropical western Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gam ...

* ''

Pterocarpus santalinus ''Pterocarpus santalinus'', with the common names red sanders, red saunders, Yerra Chandanam, Chenchandanam, red sandalwood, Rakta Chandana, and rakto chandon, is a species of ''Pterocarpus'' endemism, endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats moun ...

'' L. f.—

red sandalwood ''Pterocarpus santalinus'', with the common names red sanders, red saunders, Yerra Chandanam, Chenchandanam, red sandalwood, Rakta Chandana, and rakto chandon, is a species of ''Pterocarpus'' endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats mountain range ...

, red sanders * ''

Pterocarpus soyauxii ''Pterocarpus soyauxii'', the African padauk or African coralwood, is a species of ''Pterocarpus'' in the family Fabaceae, native to central and tropical west Africa, from Nigeria east to Congo-Kinshasa and south to Angola.International Legume D ...

'' Taub.— African padauk, African coralwood * '' Pterocarpus ternatus'' Rizzini * '' Pterocarpus tessmannii'' Harms * '' Pterocarpus tinctorius'' Welw. * ''

Pterocarpus velutinus ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' yiel ...

'' De Wild. * ''

Pterocarpus villosus ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' yiel ...

'' (Benth.) Benth. * ''

Pterocarpus violaceus ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' yiel ...

'' Vogel * ''

Pterocarpus zehntneri ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' yiel ...

'' Harms * ''

Pterocarpus zenkeri ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' yiel ...

'' Harms

Notes

: Some sources treat ''P. echinatus'' as a synonym of ''P. indicus''.

References

External links

{{Authority control Fabaceae genera Medicinal plants Pantropical flora Taxa named by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin Plant dyes