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"SATINWOOD" as a wood name


"Satinwood" is a name that has some marketing appeal so not surprisingly it is often applied to woods that have nothing to do with satinwood. Really, there are only two "true" satinwoods, as shown in the table below. My thanks to Robert Wessling for helping me understand this.

Notes on all of the species in my database that have satinwood as all or part of one or more of their common names

species name area that uses
satinwood name
true
satinwood?
page on
this site
other notes:
Afrormosia taxiflora synonym for Zanthoxylum apiculatum
Brosimum rubescens South America NO BLOODWOOD use of the name
satinwood is rare
Buchanania arborescens Australia NO none
Ceratopetalum apetalum Australia NO none
Chloroxylon swietenia Ceylon &
East India
YES SATINWOOD
(Ceylon)
Distemonanthus benthamianus Africa NO MOVINGUI VERY OFTEN LISTED
AS SATINWOOD
Dysoxylum pettigrewianum Australia NO none
Eugenia smithii synonym for Syzygium smithii
Euxylophora paraense South America NO YELLOWHEART sometimes called "Brazilian
satinwood" when curly
Fagara amaniensis synonym for Zanthoxylum gilletii
Fagara apiculata synonym for Zanthoxylum apiculatum
Fagara flava synonym for Zanthoxylum flavum
Fagara macrophylla synonym for Zanthoxylum gilletii
Lagerstroemia spp. Asia NO PYINMA sometimes listed as
"Asian satinwood" or
"Cambodian satinwood"
Liquidambar styraciflua USA NO GUM
(sweet gum)
I have never seen this
actually called satinwood
Murraya exotica Phillipines &
Andaman islands
NO none
Murraya paniculata Andaman islands
Papua New Guinea
Southern Asia
NO none
Pericopsis elata Africa NO AFRORMOSIA use of the name
satinwood is rare
Phebalium squameum Australia NO none
Premna lignumvitae Australia NO none
Rhodosphaera rhodanthema Australia NO none
Syzygium smithii --- Australia Australia NO none
Terminalia ivorensis Africa NO LIMBA called "African satinwood"
but only rarely
Terminalia latifolia West Indies NO none
Tetrameles nudiflora West Indies NO none
Triplochiton scleroxylon Africa NO OBECHE I have never seen this
actually called satinwood
Turraeanthus africana Africa NO none
Vitex glabrata India NO none
Vitex lignum-vitae Asia NO none
Zanthoxylum brachyacanthum Australia NO none
Zanthoxylum elephantiasis Jamaica NO none
Zanthoxylum flavum Africa
Americas
West Indies
& others
YES SATINWOOD
Zanthoxylum gillettii Africa NO none
Zanthoxylum macrophyllum synonym for Zanthoxylum gilletii