Dalbergia is a large genus of small to medium-size trees, shrubs and lianas in the pea family, Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. It was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic Dalbergia clade (or tribe): the Dalbergieae. The genus has a wide distribution, native to the tropical regions of Central and South America, Africa, Madagascar and Southern Asia.
Fossil record A fossil †Dalbergia phleboptera seed pod has been found in a Chattian deposit, in the municipality of Aix-en-Provence in France. Fossils of †Dalbergia nostratum have been found in rhyodacite tuff of Lower Miocene age in Southern Slovakia near the town of Lučenec.Miočenna flóra z lokalit Kalonda a Mučin, Jana Kučerová, ACTA GEOLOGICA SLOVACA, ročnic 1, 1, 2009, str. 65-70. Fossil seed pods of †Dalbergia mecsekense have been found in a Sarmatian deposit in Hungary.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, †Dalbergia lucida fossils have been described from the Xiaolongtan Formation of late Miocene age in Kaiyuan County, Yunnan Province, China.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,
Uses 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 and musical instruments, 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. 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.
African blackwood (D. melanoxylon) is an intensely black wood in demand for making woodwind musical instruments.
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). All but Dalbergia nigra are listed in Appendix II, with D.nigra listed in Appendix I.
Species Dalbergia comprises the following species:
Dalbergia abbreviata Craib Dalbergia abrahamii Bosser & R. Rabev.
Dalbergia acariiantha Harms Dalbergia acuta Benth. Dalbergia acutifoliolata Mendonca & Sousa Dalbergia adami Berhaut Dalbergia afzeliana G. Don Dalbergia ajudana Harms Dalbergia albertisii Prain Dalbergia albiflora Hutch. & Dalziel subsp. albiflora Hutch. & Dalziel subsp. echinocarpa Hepper Dalbergia altissima Baker f. Dalbergia altissima PittierDalbergia altissima Pittier is accepted on a provisional basis, but will have to be renamed because Dalbergia altissima Baker f. has priority. Dalbergia amazonica (Radlk.) Ducke
Dalbergia andapensis Bosser & R. Rabev.
Dalbergia antsirananae Phillipson, Crameri & N.Wilding Dalbergia arbutifolia Baker Dalbergia armata E. Mey. — Hluhluwe creeper Dalbergia assamica Benth.Some sources consider Dalbergia assamica to be a synonym of Dalbergia lanceolaria.
Dalbergia aurea Bosser & R. Rabev. Dalbergia bakeri Baker Dalbergia balansae Prain
Dalbergia baronii Baker — Madagascar rosewood, Palisander rosewood, Palissandre voamboana
Dalbergia bathiei R. Vig. Dalbergia beccarii Prain Dalbergia beddomei Thoth.
Dalbergia benthamii Prain
Dalbergia bignonae Berhaut Dalbergia bintuluensis Sunarno & Ohashi
Dalbergia boehmii Taub.
Dalbergia bojeri Drake Dalbergia boniana Gagnep. Dalbergia borneensis Prain Dalbergia brachystachya Bosser & R. Rabev. Dalbergia bracteolata Baker Dalbergia brasiliensis Vogel Dalbergia brownei (Jacq.) Urb. — Coin vine Dalbergia burmanica Prain Dalbergia calderonii Standl. subsp. calderonii Standl. subsp. molinae Rudd Dalbergia calycina Benth.
Dalbergia campenonii Drake Dalbergia cana Kurz Dalbergia candenatensis (Dennst.) Prain Dalbergia canescens (Elmer) Merr. Dalbergia capuronii Bosser & R. Rabev. Dalbergia carringtoniana Sousa
Dalbergia catingicola Harms Dalbergia caudata G. Don
Dalbergia cearensis Ducke — Kingwood
Dalbergia chapelieri Baill.
Dalbergia chlorocarpa R. Vig. Dalbergia chontalensis Standl. & L.O. Williams
Dalbergia clarkei Thoth.
Dalbergia cochinchinensis Pierre ex Laness. — Siamese rosewood, Thailand rosewood, Tracwood (synonym Dalbergia cambodiana Pierre) Dalbergia commiphoroides Baker f. Dalbergia confertiflora Benth. Dalbergia congensis Baker f. Dalbergia congesta Wight & Arn. Dalbergia congestiflora Pittier Dalbergia coromandeliana Prain Dalbergia crispa Hepper Dalbergia cubilquitzensis (Donn. Sm.) PittierSome sources consider Dalbergia cubilquitzensis to be a synonym of Dalbergia tucurensis. Dalbergia cucullata Pittier Dalbergia cuiabensis Benth.
Dalbergia cultrata Benth. Dalbergia cumingiana Benth.
Dalbergia curtisii Prain Dalbergia cuscatlanica (Standl.) Standl. Dalbergia dalzielii Hutch. & Dalziel Dalbergia darienensis Rudd
Dalbergia davidii Bosser & R. Rabev. Dalbergia debilis J.F. Macbr. Dalbergia decipularis Rizzini & A. Mattos — Tulipwood
Dalbergia delphinensis Bosser & R. Rabev. Dalbergia densa Benth.
Dalbergia densiflora (Benth.) Benth.
Dalbergia discolor Blume
Dalbergia duarensis Thoth.
Dalbergia dyeriana Harms Dalbergia ealaensis De Wild.
Dalbergia ecastaphyllum (L.) Taub. — Coin vine
Dalbergia elegans A.M. Carvalho
Dalbergia emirnensis Benth.
Dalbergia enneaphylla Pittier Dalbergia entadoides Prain Dalbergia eremicola Polhill Dalbergia ernest-ulei Hoehne Dalbergia errans Craib Dalbergia erubescens Bosser & R. Rabev.
Dalbergia falcata Prain
Dalbergia fischeri Taub.
Dalbergia floribunda Craib Dalbergia florifera De Wild.
Dalbergia foliolosa Benth. Dalbergia foliosa (Benth.) A.M. Carvalho Dalbergia forbesii Prain Dalbergia fouilloyana Pellegr.
Dalbergia frutescens (Vell.) Britton — Brazilian tulipwood, Jacarandá rosa, Pau de fuso, Pau rosa, Pinkwood, Tulipwood Dalbergia funera Standl.Some sources consider Dalbergia funera to be a synonym of Dalbergia calderonii. Dalbergia fusca Pierre Dalbergia gardneriana Benth. Dalbergia gentilii De Wild.
Dalbergia gilbertii Cronquist
Dalbergia glaberrima Bosser & R. Rabev. Dalbergia glabra (Mill.) Standl. Dalbergia glandulosa Benth.
Dalbergia glaucescens (Benth.) Benth. Dalbergia glaucocarpa Bosser & R. Rabev. Dalbergia glaziovii Harms Dalbergia glomerata Hemsl.
Dalbergia godefroyi Prain
Dalbergia gossweileri Baker f. Dalbergia gracilis Benth. Dalbergia granadillo Pittier Dalbergia grandibracteata De Wild.
Dalbergia grandistipula A.M. Carvalho Dalbergia greveana Baill.
Dalbergia guttembergii A.M. Carvalho Dalbergia hainanensis Merr. & Chun Dalbergia hancei Benth.
Dalbergia havilandii Prain
Dalbergia henryana Prain
Dalbergia heudelotii Stapf Dalbergia hiemalis Malme Dalbergia hildebrandtii Vatke
Dalbergia hirticalyx Bosser & R. Rabev.
Dalbergia horrida (Dennst.) Mabb. Dalbergia hortensis Heringer & al. Dalbergia hoseana Prain Dalbergia hostilis Benth. Dalbergia hullettii Prain Dalbergia humbertii R. Vig. Dalbergia hupeana Hance Dalbergia hygrophila (Benth.) Hoehne
Dalbergia intermedia A.M. Carvalho Dalbergia intibucana Standl. & L.O. Williams Dalbergia inundata Benth. Dalbergia iquitosensis Harms
Dalbergia jaherii Burck
Dalbergia junghuhnii Benth. Dalbergia kerrii Craib Dalbergia kingiana Prain Dalbergia kisantuensis De Wild. & T. Durand Dalbergia kostermansii Sunarno & Ohashi
Dalbergia kunstleri Prain Dalbergia kurzii Prain
Dalbergia lacei Thoth. Dalbergia lactea Vatke
Dalbergia lakhonensis Gagnep. Dalbergia lanceolaria L. f. – Viet. vảy ốc, bạt ong, trắc múi giáo, Burmese: သစ်ပုပ်, Malayalam: വെള്ളീട്ടി Dalbergia lastoursvillensis Pellegr. Dalbergia lateriflora Benth. Dalbergia latifolia Roxb. — Bombay blackwood, East Indian rosewood, Indian palisandre, Indian rosewood, Irugudujava, Java palisandre, Malabar, Sonokeling, Shisham, Sitsal, Satisal
Dalbergia laxiflora Micheli Dalbergia lemurica Bosser & R. Rabev. Dalbergia librevillensis Pellegr.
Dalbergia louisii Cronquist Dalbergia louvelii R. Vig. — violet rosewood
Dalbergia macrosperma Baker
Dalbergia madagascariensis Vatke Dalbergia malabarica Prain Dalbergia malangensis Sousa Dalbergia marcaniana Craib
Dalbergia maritima R. Vig. Dalbergia martinii F. White
Dalbergia mayumbensis Baker f.
Dalbergia melanocardium Pittier Dalbergia melanoxylon Guill. & Perr. — African blackwood, African ebony, African grenadilo, Banbanus, Ebene, Granadilla, Granadille d'Afrique, Mpingo, Pau preto, Poyi, Zebrawood Dalbergia menoeides Prain Dalbergia mexicana Pittier
Dalbergia microphylla Chiov. Dalbergia millettii Benth. Dalbergia mimosella (Blanco) Prain Dalbergia mimosoides Franch.
Dalbergia miscolobium Benth. Dalbergia mollis Bosser & R. Rabev. Dalbergia monetaria L. f. — Moneybush Dalbergia monophylla G.A. Black
Dalbergia monticola Bosser & R. Rabev.
Dalbergia multijuga E. Mey.
Dalbergia negrensis (Radlk.) Ducke
Dalbergia neoperrieri Bosser & R. Rabev.
Dalbergia ngounyensis Pellegr. Dalbergia nigra (Vell.) Benth. — Bahia rosewood, Brazilian rosewood, Cabiuna, Caviuna, Jacarandá, Jacarandá de Brasil, Palisander, Palisandre da Brésil, Pianowood, Rio rosewood, Rosewood, Obuina Dalbergia nigrescens KurzPOWO: Dalbergia nigrescens Kurz (retrieved 29 November 2020) Dalbergia nitida (Benth.) Hoehne Dalbergia nitidula Baker Dalbergia noldeae Harms Dalbergia normandii Bosser & R. Rabev.
Dalbergia obcordata N.Wilding, Phillipson & Crameri Dalbergia obovata E. Mey. — Climbing flat bean
Dalbergia obtusifolia (Baker) Prain Dalbergia occulta
Dalbergia odorifera T.C. Chen — Fragrant rosewood Dalbergia oligophylla Hutch. & Dalziel Dalbergia oliveri Prain (synonyms: Dalbergia bariensis Pierre, Dalbergia dongnaiensis Pierre, D. duperreana Pierre & Dalbergia mammosa Pierre)
Dalbergia orientalis Bosser & R. Rabev. Dalbergia ovata Benth.
Dalbergia pachycarpa (De Wild. & T. Durand) De Wild.
Dalbergia palo-escrito Rzed. — Palo escrito