Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued

hardwood Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...

s, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often called rosewood. Rosewood takes a high polish and is used for luxury furniture-making, flooring, musical instruments, and turnery.

True rosewoods

Genuine rosewoods belong to the

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 ...

'' Dalbergia''. The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated in the Western world is the wood of '' Dalbergia nigra''. It is best known as "Brazilian rosewood", but also as "Bahia rosewood". This wood has a strong, sweet smell, which persists for many years, explaining the name ''rosewood''. Another classic rosewood comes from '' Dalbergia latifolia'', known as (East) Indian rosewood or ''sonokeling'' (Indonesia). It is native to India and is also grown in plantations elsewhere in Pakistan (Chiniot). Madagascar rosewood ('' Dalbergia maritima''), known as ''bois de rose'', is highly prized for its red color. It is overexploited in the wild, despite a 2010 moratorium on trade and

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a p ...

, which continues on a large scale. Throughout southeast Asia, '' Dalbergia oliveri'' is harvested for use in woodworking. It has a very fragrant and dense grain near the core, but the outer sapwood is soft and porous. ''Dalbergia cultrata'', variegated burgundy to light brown in color, is a blackwood timber sold as Burmese rosewood. Products built with rosewood-based

engineered wood Engineered wood, also called mass timber, composite wood, man-made wood, or manufactured board, includes a range of derivative wood products which are manufactured by binding or fixing the strands, particles, fibres, veneers, or boards of wood, ...

s are sold as 'Malaysian rosewood' or as ''D. oliveri''. Some rosewood comes from '' Dalbergia retusa'', also known as 'Nicaraguan rosewood' or as ''cocobolo''. Several species are known as Guatemalan rosewood or Panama rosewood: ''D. tucerencis'', ''D. tucarensis'', and ''D. cubiquitzensis''. Honduran rosewood, ''D. stevensonii'' is used for marimba keys, guitar parts, clarinets and other musical and ornamental applications. Not all species in the large genus ''Dalbergia'' yield rosewoods; only about a dozen species do. The woods of some other species in the genus ''Dalbergia'' are notable—even famous—woods in their own right: African blackwood, '' cocobolo'', kingwood, and Brazilian tulipwood. Some species become canopy trees (up to 30 m high), and large pieces can occasionally be found in the trade.

Other

The timber trade sells many timbers under the name 'rosewood' (usually with an adjective) due to some (outward) similarities. A fair number of these timbers come from other

legume Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...

genera; one such species that is often mentioned is Bolivian '' Machaerium scleroxylon'' sold as 'Bolivian rosewood'. Another that may be found in market from

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

is '' Pterocarpus indicus'', sold as 'New Guinea rosewood' (and related species). ''

Dalbergia sissoo ''Dalbergia sissoo'', known commonly as North Indian rosewood or shisham, is a fast-growing, hardy, deciduous rosewood tree native to the Indian subcontinent and southern Iran. ''D. sissoo'' is a large, crooked tree with long, leathery leaves a ...

'' is a rosewood species from India and Bangladesh, usually known as ''sheesham'' or North-Indian rosewood. Its timber is extremely dense and has mild rot resistance but is porous, and its exterior is soft and susceptible to wood-boring insects. It is used for making cabinets and flooring, and for carving. It is exported as quality veneers. Due to its after-work quality when sealed and dyed, it is often sold as genuine rosewood or as

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panic ...

. It has no discernible qualities of a genuine rosewood. Its strength is comparable with teak, but it has lower quality and price than teak or '' Dalbergia latifolia''. Although its wood bears no resemblance whatsoever to the true rosewoods, the Australian rose mahogany ('' Didymocheton fraserianus'', family Meliaceae) and Australian blackwood, ('' Acacia melanoxylon'') are also sold as rosewood. '' Acacia excelsa'' is also commonly known as ironwood or rosewood. Australian rose mahogany, due to the strong smell of roses from freshly cut bark, is more mistakenly termed a "rosewood".

Uses

All rosewoods are strong and heavy, taking an excellent polish, being suitable for

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

s (the fretboards on electric and acoustic guitars often being made of rosewood),

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 ...

s, recorders, turnery ( billiard cues, fountain pens, black pieces in chess sets, etc.), handles,

furniture Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., Stool (seat), stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (table (furniture), tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furnitur ...

, and luxury

flooring Flooring is the general term for a permanent covering of a floor, or for the work of installing such a floor covering. Floor covering is a term to generically describe any finish material applied over a floor structure to provide a walking surface. ...

, etc. Rosewood oil, used in

perfume Perfume (, ) is a mixture of fragrance, fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), Fixative (perfumery), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agre ...

, is extracted from the wood of '' Aniba rosaeodora'', which is not related to the rosewoods used for lumber. Rosewood is also used for bracelets and necklaces.

Toxicity

Rosewood dust from sanding is a sensitizing irritant and can cause respiratory issues like asthma. Repeated exposure increases sensitivity, leading to chronic respiratory problems and potential allergic reactions. Proper safety measures are essential to minimize risks.

Status as an endangered species

In general, world stocks are poor through

overexploitation Overexploitation, also called overharvesting or ecological overshoot, refers to harvesting a renewable resource to the point of diminishing returns. Continued overexploitation can lead to the destruction of the resource, as it will be unable to ...

. Rosewood is now protected worldwide. At a summit of the international wildlife trade in South Africa, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (

CITES CITES (shorter acronym for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of inte ...

) moved to protect the world's most trafficked wild product by placing all 300 species of the rosewood tree under trade restrictions. At CITES meetings in 2013, 2016, and 2019, additional rosewood species were listed for protection, triggering market booms in China.

List of rosewoods

From ''Dalbergia'' species: * Amazone Rosewood, Para Rosewood ('' Dalbergia spruceana'') * Bahia Rosewood, (Brazilian) Tulipwood, Pau Rosa, Pinkwood, Bois de rose ('' Dalbergia decipularis'') * Black Rosewood, Nicaraguan, Mexican or Panama and Central American Rosewood ('' Dalbergia retusa'') * Brazilian Rosewood, also Bahia or Rio Rosewood, Jacaranda, White Rosewood ('' Dalbergia nigra''), german Rio-Palisander * Brown's Indian rosewood ('' Dalbergia brownei'') * Burmese Rosewood ('' Dalbergia oliveri'') Chingchan also as Asian or Laos Rosewood, ('' Dalbergia bariensis''), ('' Dalbergia cultrata'', '' Dalbergia dongnaiensis'', '' Dalbergia fusca'') * Chinese Rosewood, Fragrant Rosewood, Huanghuali ('' Dalbergia odorifera'') also as Bangkok Rosewood * Closeflower Rosewood, Camotillo ('' Dalbergia congestiflora'') * Granadillo Rosewood ('' Dalbergia granadillo'') * Guatemala or Honduras Rosewood ('' Dalbergia cubilquitzensis'') * Honduran Rosewood ('' Dalbergia stevensonii'') * Laos Rosewood, Burmese Rosewood, Burmese Blackwood ('' Dalbergia cultrata'') * Laotian Rosewood ('' Dalbergia lanceolaria'') * Madagascar Rosewood ('' Dalbergia baronii'', '' Dalbergia greveana'') also as French Rosewood, and Bois de Rose ('' Dalbergia maritima'', '' Dalbergia louvelii''), ('' Dalbergia madagascariensis'', '' Dalbergia monticola'', '' Dalbergia trichocarpa'' etc.), for all ''Dalbergia''-species from the population of Madagascar. * Mexican Rosewood, Palo Escrito ('' Dalbergia paloescrito'') * (East) Indian Rosewood, Indonesian or Malabar, Bombay, Rosetta und Black Rosewood or Sonokeling Rosewood ('' Dalbergia latifolia'') * (North, East) Indian Rosewood, Sissoo, Sheesham (''

'') * Siamese, Siam Rosewood, Thailand Rosewood, Reclaimed Thai Rosewood ('' Dalbergia cochinchinensis'') * Yucatan Rosewood, Guatemalan Rosewood ('' Dalbergia tucurensis'') Other than ''Dalbergia'' species * African Rosewood, False Rosewood ('' Guibourtia demeusei''), ('' Guibourtia pellegriniana'') and ('' Guibourtia tessmannii'') (Bubinga), and ('' Guibourtia coleosperma'') Rhodesian Copalwood, also ('' Pterocarpus erinaceus'', '' Pterocarpus angolensis'') also as West African Rosewood or Senegal, Gaboon Rosewood, '' Millettia laurentii'' (Wenge), '' Hagenia abyssinica'' also as East African Rosewood * Andaman rosewood, redwood, padauk ('' Pterocarpus dalbergioides'') * Arizona or California Rosewood ('' Vauquelinia californica'') * Australian Rosewood ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

'' spp.; ('' Acacia excelsa'', '' Acacia acuminata'', '' Acacia rhodoxylon'' also as Inland Rosewood, ''

Acacia binervia ''Acacia binervia'' commonly known as the coast myall, coastal myall, coastal wattle, or kai'arrawan in the Dharawal language. is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae and is endemic to south-eastern continental Australia. It is an ...

'') and others like ('' Acacia spania'') also as Western Rosewood, ('' Acacia melanoxylon'') also as Australian Blackwood etc. * Bastard Rosewood, Australian Rosewood ('' Synoum glandulosum'') also as Scentless Rosewood, ('' Knightia excelsa'') * Bolivian Rosewood, Santos Rosewood, Pau Ferro, Morado, '' Machaerium'' spp.; ('' Machaerium scleroxylon''), ('' Machaerium acutifolium''), ('' Machaerium villosum'') * Brazilian Rosewood ('' Dicypellium caryophyllaceum''), ('' Physocalymma scaberrimum'') also as Amazone Rosewood * (Brazilian) Rosewood, Cayenne Rosewood, Pau Rosa, Bois de rose (femelle) ('' Aniba rosaeodora''), ('' Aniba parviflora'') and others ( rosewood oil) * Burmese Rosewood ('' Pterocarpus macrocarpus''), ('' Pterocarpus indicus'') also as New Guinea Rosewood or Andaman Rosewood, Narra * Canary Rosewood ('' Genista canariensis''), ('' Convolvulus scoparius'') * Caribbean Rosewood ('' Metopium brownei'') * Cayenne Rosewood, ''Bois de rose mâle'' ('' Ocotea cernua'') or possible to other sources ('' Endlicheria canescens'', '' Licaria cannella'', '' Tetragastris altissima'') * False or Bastard Rosewood; others than '' Swartzia'' spp.; ('' Didymocheton rufus'') also as Hairy Rosewood, (''

Jacaranda mimosifolia ''Jacaranda mimosifolia'' is a sub-tropical tree native to south-central South America that has been widely planted elsewhere because of its attractive and long-lasting Violet (color), violet-colored flowers. It is also known as the jacaranda, b ...

''), ('' Thespesia populnea'', '' Thespesia populneoides'') also as Pacific and Tahitian Rosewood or Polynesian Rosewood, Macawood, Granadillo ('' Platymiscium'' spp.) * Guyana Rosewood, Bastard Rosewood ('' Swartzia benthamiana'', '' Swartzia leiocalycina''), ('' Swartzia cubensis'') also as Northern Rosewood and for ('' Licaria guianensis'') also French Rosewood * Jamaica Rosewood ('' Erithalis fruticosa'') * Japanese Rosewood ('' Myrospermum erythroxylum'') * Mexican Rosewood, Dominican, Mayan Rosewood, Bocote; Barcino ('' Cordia elaeagnoides''), Bojon ('' Cordia gerascanthus''), Freijo ('' Cordia alliodora''), Louro Preto ('' Cordia megalantha''), Ziricote ('' Cordia dodecandra'') * Patagonian Rosewood (''

Anadenanthera colubrina ''Anadenanthera colubrina'' (also known as vilca, huilco, huilca, wilco, willka, curupay, curupau, cebil, or angico) is a South American tree closely related to yopo, or ''Anadenanthera peregrina''. It grows to tall and the trunk is very thorn ...

'') * Tiete Rosewood ('' Guibourtia hymenaeifolia''), ('' Guibourtia chodatiana'') * Rhodesian Rosewood (''Guibourtia coleosperma'') see African Rosewood * West Indian Rosewood, Jamaica Rosewood, White Rosewood ('' Amyris balsamifera''); also as Lignum rhodium * Rosewood, Australian Rose Mahogany, Bastard Rosewood ('' Didymocheton fraserianus'') * Western Rosewood, Inland Rosewood ('' Alectryon oleifolius'') * White Rosewood ('' Chionanthus ligustrinus''), ('' Anthocarapa nitidula'') * (Pau Ferro, Pau Rosa), rosewood substitute, ('' Machaerium firmum''), ('' Bobgunnia fistuloides''), ('' Bobgunnia madagascariensis''), ('' Berchemia zeyheri'') * Only because of scent; Rosewood oil, Oleum Ligni Rhodii, ('' Convolvulus floridus'' und '' Convolvulus scoparius''); also as Lignum rhodium, Lignum cyprinum * Other rosewoods; '' Colliguaja odorifera'', '' Erythroxylum havanense''

References

External links

* {{Woodworking Wood by type Plant common names