Pterocarpus Explained

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 yield valuable timber traded as padauk (or padouk), usually pronounced or ;[1] other common names are mukwa or narra. The west African species may be traded as African rosewood.[2] P. santalinus also yields the most precious red sandalwood in China known as Zitan.[3] [4] 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 form.[5] The scientific name is Latinized Ancient Greek and means "wing fruit", referring to the unusual shape of the seed pods in this genus.

Uses

Padauk wood is obtained from several species 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[6] woods contain either water- or alcohol-soluble substances and can be used as dyes.

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, organ and marimba keys, and guitars. It is an important material in traditional Chinese furniture.

Some padauks, e.g. P. soyauxii, are used as herbal medicines, for example to treat skin parasites and fungal infections.[7] Padauk wood is also used as a spice, for example in Swedish soused herring.[8]

Chemistry

Pterocarpin is a pterocarpan found in Pterocarpus spp.[9]

Species

A total of 35 species is currently accepted:[10] [11]

Notes

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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: African Padauk The Wood Database (Hardwood) . www.wood-database.com . en-US . 27 July 2023.
  2. The Rosewood Trade: An Illicit Trail from Forest to Furniture Authors: Sandy Ong / Andy Carver, Date: 29 January 2019, URL: https://e360.yale.edu/features/the-rosewood-trade-the-illicit-trail-from-forest-to-furniture (Yale School of Environment)
  3. Web site: Zitan The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Hardwood). www.wood-database.com. en-US. 2018-05-13.
  4. Web site: Chinese National Standard for Rosewood Furniture - QB/T 2385-2008 .
  5. Web site: The Wood Database . Meier E. .
  6. Web site: Narra. 2021-12-03. OneToTree. en.
  7. Web site: AgroForestryTree Database entry for Pterocarpus soyauxii . . AgroForestryTree Database . World Agroforestry Centre (WAC) . 1 November 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090213121119/http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/Sea/Products/AFDbases/AF/asp/SpeciesInfo.asp?SpID=17977 . 13 February 2009 . dead .
  8. Web site: Bohusmatjes . https://web.archive.org/web/20231202154420/https://www.abba.se/produkt/bohusmatjes/ . 2 December 2023 . 2024-08-04 . . en-US . Ingredienser: Sill i bitar, socker, salt, kryddor (bland andra kanel, muskotblomma, padoukträ) . Ingredients: Herring in pieces, sugar, salt, spices (among others cinnamon, mace, padauk wood).
  9. Web site: Pterocarpin at knapsack_jsp . 5 February 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140222201449/http://kanaya.naist.jp/knapsack_jsp/information.jsp?mode=r&word=C00009616&key=5 . 22 February 2014 . dead .
  10. Web site: ILDIS LegumeWeb entry for Pterocarpus . . International Legume Database & Information Service . Cardiff School of Computer Science & Informatics . 11 February 2014 .
  11. Web site: GRIN species records of Pterocarpus . USDA . USDA . ARS . Agricultural Research Service . National Genetic Resources Program . Germplasm Resources Information Network—(GRIN) [Online Database] . National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland . 11 February 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924075154/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?10084 . 24 September 2015 . dead .

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