Dalbergia latifolia (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Dalbergia latifolia Roxb.

Protologue: Pl. Corom. 2: 7, t. 113 (1799).

Vernacular names

• Indian rosewood, Bombay blackwood (En). Palisandre de l'Inde (Fr)
• Indonesia: sonokeling, sonobrits, sonosungu (Java)
• Vietnam: trắc.

Distribution

Nepal, western and north-eastern India and Java; planted in mainland South-East Asia, Java and Africa.

Uses

The timber is used as sonokeling. The species is planted as shade tree.

Observations

A medium-sized to large tree of up to 43 m tall, bole straight or slightly twisted and usually branchless for 3-12 m with a diameter of up to 180 cm, buttresses prominent; leaves with 3-7 leaflets and a straight rachis, leaflets obtuse to emarginate with or without a small cusp; flowers distinctly pedicellate, corolla white or pale pink, stamens 9, style 1.7-2.5 mm long; pod 4-9 cm × 1.5-2 cm, with 1-3(-4) seeds. D. latifolia occurs in evergreen or deciduous forest on deep, well-drained, moist soils up to 600 m altitude in Java, in India much higher. The disjunct distribution is remarkable. The density of the wood is 770-860 kg/m³at 15% moisture content. See also the table on wood properties.

Selected sources

35, 54, 102, 160, 217, 234, 281, 328, 373, 461, 570, 576, 634, 662, 712, 762.