Rosewood

In general, supplies are poor through overexploitation. Some species become canopy trees (up to 30 m high), and large pieces can occasionally be found in the trade.

True rosewoods

Another classic rosewood is that yielded by Dalbergia latifolia known as (East) Indian Rosewood or sonokeling.

Not all species in the large genus Dalbergia yield rosewoods; only about a dozen species do. They can be found in tropical America, Southeast Asia, and Madagascar. The woods of some other species in the genus Dalbergia are notable—even famous—woods in their own right: African Blackwood, Cocobolo, Kingwood, and Tulipwood. The Indian souvenir trade tries to sell objects made of Dalbergia sissoo (sometimes stained purple) as if they were rosewood. The wood of some other species is usable for tool handles at best.

Other "rosewoods"

An exception is the Australian Rose Mahogany (Dysoxylum fraserianum), a highly regarded rainforest tree in eastern Australia which is sometimes also called "Rosewood", although its wood bears no resemblance whatsoever to the true rosewoods.

Madagascar rosewood logging controversy

In 2009 controversy arose surrounding the intensification of rosewood logging in Madagascar's national parks. Logging was linked to criminal syndicates that laundered rosewood logs through Reunion and Mauritius before transporting timber to China for processing. Finished wood and furniture was then shipped to Europe and the United States. In November 2009 Gibson Guitar Corporation in Nashville was raided by federal authorities for its alleged use of illegally sourced rosewood. The investigation is ongoing as of January 2010. In March 2010 the Malagasy government finally announced a ban of the rosewood export for a period between 2 and 5 years.

References

Category:wood Category:Furniture