Pterocarpus is apantropical treegenus in theFabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamilyFaboideae, and was recently assigned to the informalmonophyleticPterocarpus clade within theDalbergieae.[2][3] Most species ofPterocarpus yield valuable timber traded aspadauk (or padouk), usually pronounced/pəˈduːk/ or/ˈpædˌoʊk/;[4] other common names aremukwa ornarra.
The west African species may be traded asAfrican rosewood.[5]P. santalinus also yields the most precious red sandalwood in China known as Zitan.[6][7] The wood from the narra tree (P. indicus) and the Burmese padauk tree (P. macrocarpus) is marketed asamboyna when it has grown in theburl form.[8] Thescientific name isLatinizedAncient Greek and means "wing fruit", referring to the unusual shape of theseed pods in this genus.
Padauk wood is obtained from severalspecies ofPterocarpus. All padauks are of African or Asian origin. Padauks are valued for their toughness, stability in use, and decorativeness, most having a reddish wood. MostPterocarpus[9] woods contain either water- or alcohol-soluble substances and can be used asdyes.
The padauk found most often is African padauk fromP. soyauxii which, when freshly cut, is a very bright red/orange but when exposed to sunlight fades over time to a warm brown. Its colour makes it a favourite among woodworkers. Burmese padauk (ပိတောက်) isP. macrocarpus while Andaman padauk isP. dalbergioides. Padauks can be confused with truerosewoods to which they are somewhat related, but as a general rule padauks are coarser and less decorative in figure. Like rosewood, padauk is sometimes used to makexylophone,organ andmarimba keys, and guitars. It is an important material in traditionalChinese furniture.
^Lavin M, Pennington RT, Klitgaard BB, Sprent JI, de Lima HC, Gasson PE (2001). "The dalbergioid legumes (Fabaceae): delimitation of a pantropical monophyletic clade".Am J Bot.88 (3):503–33.doi:10.2307/2657116.JSTOR2657116.PMID11250829.
^"Bohusmatjes".Abba. Archived fromthe original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved4 August 2024.Ingredienser: Sill i bitar, socker, salt, kryddor (bland andra kanel, muskotblomma, padoukträ) [Ingredients: Herring in pieces, sugar, salt, spices (among others cinnamon, mace, padauk wood)]
^"ILDIS LegumeWeb entry forPterocarpus".International Legume Database & Information Service. Cardiff School of Computer Science & Informatics. Retrieved11 February 2014.
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