Blackwood, African (Dalbergia melanoxylon)

Source Region: Africa; Sudan. Mozambique, Angola, Nigeria and Senegal.

Color: Heartwood is dark purple-brown with dark black streaks and the sapwood is creamy white.

The Tree: The small tree is reported to often develop more than a single stem. It usually grows to a height of 15 to 20 feet, but may occasionally reach 50 feet (15 m). The bole is often short, fluted, and rarely cylindrical, with diameters that are seldom more than 12 inches. Blackwood is a very hard, dense wood, with a tight grain.

Bloodwood (Brosimum paraense)

Source Region: Venezuela, Peru, Panama, Brazil

Color: Rich strawberry red sometimes with golden yellow stripes. The grain is close, and straight to interlocked and varies from medium to coarse in texture.

Bocote (Cordia elaeagnoides)

Source Region: Mexico and Central America

Color: Greenish yellow to golden brown with dark stripes.

The Tree: Small to medium sized tree sometimes 100 feet tall. This richly grained tropical hardwood is very scarce and is classified as rare or endangered throughout its natural habitat. Often highly figured with "eyes." Its grain varies from straight to roey and its texture is fine to medium with an oily appearance. Noted to be a very heavy hard wood, it resists marring and denting and is very resistant to decay.

Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa)

Source Region: Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua

Color: Variegated orange, yellow dark red with irregular black stripes.

The Tree: A small to medium tree. Matures to heights over 45-60 feet. Trunks are 18-24". Cocobolo is a hard and heavy wood. Oils in the wood produce a natural polish.

Kingwood (Dalbergia cearensis)

Source Region: Brazil

Color: Light to dark violet brown with lighter and darker stripes of purple.

The Tree: A low, slender tree. Although very strong and tough in all wood strength categories, Kingwood is mostly used for decorative purposes since its use is restricted by the small sizes available.

Padauk (Pterocarpus soyauxii)

Source Region: West Africa - Cameroon. Gabon, Nigeria, Gold Coast.

Color: Bright orange red, often with dark stripes.

The Tree: A straight, well-shaped tree that reaches 100 feet high and up to 48" in diameter. It often grows in small groups and is common in dense equatorial rain forests. When freshly cut the wood is bright orange red, becomes reddish brown.

Purpleheart (Peltogyne paniculata)

Source Region: Mexico to Tropical South America

Color: Dull gray brown when freshly cut but soon oxidizing to a violet purple.

The Tree: A tall tree 120 feet or more, producing a long, straight trunk about 36 inches in diameter. This wood has exceptional bending strength (far stronger than Maple, Oak or Teak) with a high tolerance to shock loading.

Red Heart

From Central America

A very fine grained wood. It is pale to dark red that will deepen with age.

Rosewood, Brazilian (Dalbergia nigra)

Source Region: Brazil

Color: The heartwood varies in color from shades of brown to red or chocolate to violet, and is irregularly streaked with black.

The Tree: The often-buttressed trees are reported to develop boles that are usually short and irregular in shape. They may reach heights of 125 feet, with trunk diameters that range from 36 to 48 inches. The wood has a very fragrant aroma similar to that of roses when cut. Finishes well and works easily. Brazilian rosewood is reported to be scarce in the more accessible areas because of over-harvesting.

Tulipwood (Dalbergia variabilis)

Source Region: Tropical South America, especially Northeast Brazil

Color: Irregular streaks of yellow, rose and red or violet on a cream to straw colored background.

The Tree: Small with an irregular trunk. Heartwood logs are 2-8" in diameter. Tulipwood is hard and dense with elegant pink-yellow heartwood with a pronounced stripe of pink to deep red.

Wenge (Millettia laurentii)

Source Region: Tropical West Africa, Zaire, Cameroon, Gabon, Tanzania.

Color: Dark brown to black with fine black veining.

The Tree: Ranges from 60-90 feet in height with trunk diameters of about 36". The grain of Wenge is expressive with a straight to roey grain. The color is a rich dark brown to black with fine, closely spaced dark veins and white lines.

Zebrawood (Microberlinia brazzavillensis)

Source Region: West Africa, especially Cameroon and Gabon

Color: Golden brown with pronounced dark brown streaks.

The Tree: A tall tree to 150 feet; bole straight and cylindrical but relatively short, up to 50 feet; trunk diameters 48-60" over low buttresses. The bark is up to 12" thick. Although abundant, it is an expensive wood because of its difficulty to harvest and preparation necessary to bring it to market. The heartwood is a light golden-yellow with narrow veining streaks of dark brown to black rendering its zebra stripe appearance.

Laminates are made from dyed, resin impregnated, colored hardwood veneers