Dalbergia latifolia
Encyclopedia
Dalbergia latifolia is an economically important timber
species native to low elevation tropical monsoon forests
of eastern India
. Some common names in English include blackwood, Bombay blackwood, rosewood, Roseta rosewood, East Indian rosewood, black rosewood, Indian palisandre, and Java palisandre. Its Indian common names are beete, and sitsal. The tree grows to 40 metres in height and is evergreen, but locally deciduous in drier subpopulations.
Haematonectria haematococca
is a fungal pest of the tree, causing damage to the leaves and the heartwood in Javanese plantations. In India, trees may be subject to serious damage from a species of Phytophthora
, a water mold genus.
Germplasm
resources for D. latifolia are maintained by the Kerala Forest Research Institute
in Thrissur
, Kerala
, India.
, as plywood, for outdoor furniture and as a bentwood, and for turning.
Under the Indian Forest Act, 1927
the exportation of lumber products from wild harvested D. latifolia is illegal. There exists an international high demand and price for the wood due to its excellent qualities of having a long straight bore, its strength, and its high density. However, the tree is slow-growing; Javanese plantations were started in the late nineteenth century, but, due to its slow growth, plantations have not expanded beyond Java and India. Many once popular uses for D. latifolia wood have now been replaced with Dalbergia sissoo wood, particularly for cottage industries.
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
species native to low elevation tropical monsoon forests
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
of eastern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Some common names in English include blackwood, Bombay blackwood, rosewood, Roseta rosewood, East Indian rosewood, black rosewood, Indian palisandre, and Java palisandre. Its Indian common names are beete, and sitsal. The tree grows to 40 metres in height and is evergreen, but locally deciduous in drier subpopulations.
Description and biology
The tree has grey bark that peels in long fibres, pinnately compound leaves, and bunches of small white flowers. It grows as both an evergreen and a deciduous tree in the deciduous monsoon forests of India making the tree very drought hearty.Haematonectria haematococca
Haematonectria haematococca
Haematonectria haematococca is a plant pathogen and is the teleomorph of Fusarium solani.- External links :* *...
is a fungal pest of the tree, causing damage to the leaves and the heartwood in Javanese plantations. In India, trees may be subject to serious damage from a species of Phytophthora
Phytophthora
Phytophthora is a genus of plant-damaging Oomycetes , whose member species are capable of causing enormous economic losses on crops worldwide, as well as environmental damage in natural ecosystems. The genus was first described by Heinrich Anton de Bary in 1875...
, a water mold genus.
Germplasm
Germplasm
A germplasm is a collection of genetic resources for an organism. For plants, the germplasm may be stored as a seed collection or, for trees, in a nursery.-See also:*Germ plasm, the germ cell determining zone...
resources for D. latifolia are maintained by the Kerala Forest Research Institute
Kerala Forest Research Institute
The Kerala Forest Research Institute is an research organisation based in Peechi, in Thrissur, India. The Institution was established in 1975 by the Government of Kerala as part of its Science and Technology Department, and in 2003 became part of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology...
in Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India.
Uses
The tree produces a hard, durable, heavy wood that, when properly cured, is durable and resistant to rot and insects. It is grown as a plantation wood in both India and Java, often in dense, single species groves, to produce its highly desirable long straight bore. Wood from the tree is used in premium furniture making and cabinetry, as veneerWood veneer
In woodworking, veneer refers to thin slices of wood, usually thinner than 3 mm , that are typically glued onto core panels to produce flat panels such as doors, tops and panels for cabinets, parquet floors and parts of furniture. They are also used in marquetry...
, as plywood, for outdoor furniture and as a bentwood, and for turning.
Under the Indian Forest Act, 1927
Indian Forest Act, 1927
The Indian Forest Act, 1927 was largely based on previous Indian Forest Acts implemented under the British. The first and most famous was the Indian Forest Act of 1878...
the exportation of lumber products from wild harvested D. latifolia is illegal. There exists an international high demand and price for the wood due to its excellent qualities of having a long straight bore, its strength, and its high density. However, the tree is slow-growing; Javanese plantations were started in the late nineteenth century, but, due to its slow growth, plantations have not expanded beyond Java and India. Many once popular uses for D. latifolia wood have now been replaced with Dalbergia sissoo wood, particularly for cottage industries.