rosewood, misc

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ROSEWOOD, MISC

Dalbergia spp.
Dalbergia spp. of the family Fabaceae (syn. Leguminosae) the legume, pea, or bean family. There are so many different rosewoods that it's hard to keep track of them, and without any identification other than "rosewood" it can be impossible to figure out which one it is. This section holds otherwise unidentified rosewoods and also more obscure varieties that I don't have enough pictures of to make yet another rosewood page.

In some cases, the distinction may even be pointless since the specific rosewood name used is just a "country of origin/distribution" for a more generic form of rosewood that is how it really should be identified. That is, just as an example, there is a sample of Dalbergia bariaensis on this page and it is identified as "Cambodian rosewood" because (1) that is how the vendor identified it and (2) that IS a legitimate name for the species. BUT ... other legitimate names for that species include "Vietnamese rosewood", "Asiatic rosewood", "Laotian rosewood", and so forth.

THE ROSEWOODS, REAL and OTHERWISE

my samples:
NOTE: these pics were all taken in very bright incandescent lighting ("soft white" at 2700K)
colors will vary under other lighting conditions

both sides of a sample plank of Cambodian rosewood / Dalbergia bariaensis --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Colombian rosewood (aka "money bush") / Dalbergia monetaria --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The difference in color between the two sides is correct and is because the first side has had the patina sanded off (and because of the sanding, the first side shows the face grain characteristics more clearly, particularly in the enlargements)

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Colombian rosewood (aka "money bush") / Dalbergia monetaria --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. Although it is less obvious on this sample, this one, like the one directly above, has had the first side sanded down and shows the face grain characteristics better, especially in the enlargements.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Mexican rosewood / Dalbergia palo-escrito --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. This sample plank has a couple of small sections laminated onto one edge, which makes it look a bit weird.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Asian rosewood / Dalbergia rimosa --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Aztec rosewood / Dalbergia calderonii --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Aztec rosewood / Dalbergia aff calderonii --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Burmese rosewood / Dalbergia cultrata --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The labeled side is raw but the 2nd side has been sanded to 240 grit and so shows details better and shows as a slightly richer color.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of rosewood, Burmese (kham phi rosewood) / Dalbergia cultrata --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Burmese rosewood / Dalbergia cultrata --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The second face is still slathered in wax but the first face has been sanded to a mirror finish.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

NOT A RAW WOOD COLOR --- both faces of this sample have a light coat of clear paste wax
both sides of a sample plank of Burmese rosewood / Dalbergia cultrata --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

NOT A RAW WOOD COLOR --- both faces of this sample have a light coat of clear paste wax. Also note that this is an extreme example of how different wood can look in the bright incandescent lighting that I use for my pics vs in natural light. In natural light, this piece is very noticeably darker than what you see here
both sides of a sample plank of kham phi rosewood / Dalbergia cultrata --- HUGE enlargements are present.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above. Note that both the end grain shot and this update have been deliberately overexposed so that the characteristics are more visible.

both sides of a sample plank of Burmese blackwood / Dalbergia cultrata --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Burmese rosewood / Dalbergia oliveri --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. Although you can barely tell it from these two pics, the first side was sanded to 240 grit and in the enlargements you can see the grain details much better on it than on the second side.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Colombian rosewood / Dalbergia monetaria (listed as "aff" monetaria) --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. Note: the "aff" means this species is similar to Dalbergia monetaria but is probably a different (unknown) species.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of ocelot's ear rosewood / Dalbergia cuscatlantica --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Dennis Wilson whom I thank.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of ocelot's ear rosewood / Dalbergia cuscatlantica) --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Dennis Wilson whom I thank.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

Indonesian rosewood (just given as Dalbergia spp.) sample plank and end grain. Actually, in all respects this looks exactly like East Indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia)

end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of kratie rosewood / Dalbergia nigrescens --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of nang nound / Dalbergia lanceolaria --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The vendor's name of nang noun is a vietnamese name. Although this species has a wide growth range in India and Southeast Asia, it is not commonly seen in the USA.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

NOTE the sample directly above and the one directly below were both sold as Dalbergia lanceolaria but both are from vendors
who are less than reliable (and I'm not talking about David Clark or Mark Peet who are just the owners not the vendors)
and they are significantly different so I'm convinced that they are not the same woods so at least one of them,
and for all I know BOTH of them are wood(s) other than Dalbergia lanceolaria. This is a very obscure species and
I have not been able to find other sources with the detail that would help me figure this out.

both sides of a sample plank of shisham rosewood / Dalbergia lanceolaria --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by Mark Peet whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Panama rosewood / Dalbergia tilarana --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The first side is fine sanded and shows a distinctly richer color than the second side which, apparently, has a dull patina. It will also show the fine grain details better in the enlargements.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of vine rosewood / Dalbergia glabra --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Brown's Indian rosewood / Dalbergia brownei --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of the piece directly above

END GRAIN UPDATE from directly above

both sides of a sample plank of Mexican Rosewood / Dalbergia palo-escrito --- HUGE enlargements are present. This sample was loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site. The piece was very thin, so no end grain shots.

some sticks of akar laka (akar laka) / Dalbergia parviflora, a thorny, climbing shrub that grows in SouthEast Asia loaned to me by David Clark whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

end grain and end grain closeup of a couple of the sticks directly above

This sheet of San Dominican rosewood veneer was loaned to me by John Koehn whom I thank for this and other contributions to the site.

quartersawn veneer, meaninglessly (see comments with web pics below) named "Nigerian rosewood"

NOT a raw wood color
sample plank of Nigerian rosewood, with a finishing agent, shot in a woodworking store. HUGE enlargements are present. WELL ... hm, I THOUGHT "Nigerian rosewood" was a meaningless designation since I've not been able to find it in any reference work, but here's the name used in a reputable wood store and although the color is different, the grain does look very similar. I've done a new internet search and I've found a couple of sites that sell "Nigerian rosewood veneer" that looks similar, but I'm still in the dark as to what this wood actually IS.

web pics:

listed as "andes" rosewood

"Aztec" rosewood

plank listed as Aztec rosewood / Dalbergia tucerensis

bois de rose (I think this is a common name for another rosewood, so I'll move it eventually)

Borneo rosewood turning block, waxed

Burmese rosewood turning block, waxed

waxed turning sticks listed as Burmese blackwood / Dalbergia cultrata

scales listed as Burmese blackwood / Dalbergia cultrata

Burmese rosewood guitar set

plank listed as Burma rosewood / Dalberga cultrata

Myanmar (= Burma) rosewood veneer

Cambodian rosewood planks. I'm not sure about the bright orange color on a couple of these

Cambodian rosewood from the BogusColorVendor so the color is suspect

Caribbean rosewood, but it's from the BogusColorVendor so the color is highly suspect

"Central American" rosewood

listed variously as "san domingan", "san domingo", and "santo domingo"

Indonesian

malagasy --- alert correspondent Allan Philip has pointed out that "Malagasy" is just what the natives of Madagascar call themselves, so "malagasy" rosewood is madagascar rosewood. I will move these pics to that page at some point

New Guinea rosewood plank

"New Guinea" rosewood veneer

Nicaraguan rosewood pieces and an end grain --- this name is used for 5 or 6 different Dalbergias and I have no idea which of them any of these pieces might be

"Nigerian rosewood" veneer, all from the same vendor who, as far as I can tell, is the only vendor in the world to use this designation and she has no idea what the wood is. I consider the designation to be meaningless. The wood looks a little like teak and a little like cerejeira, but I don't know what it is. When I bought some of this from the vendor whose pics these are, she gave me the name of the wholesaler who sold it to her but they did not reply to my emails. The colors are accurate, but as usual with this vendor, the pics have a shine that is not at all present in the wood. Whatever it is, it sure is pretty.