Madagascar Rosewood
Dalbergia greveana

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

Dalbergia greveana or commonly known as Madagascar Rosewood is a slow-growing tree endemic to Madagascar. It is deciduous and grows up to 15 m tall with crooked, short bole of up to 50cm in diameter. It is overexploited from the wild for timber exportation. A paste is made from rubbing branches on stones with water. It is used as a medicine for various conditions and applied to the face. The wood is heavy and very hard. It works well with hand and machine tools. It is used for cabinet making, furniture, parquet flooring, musical instruments, poles, handles, ladders, fuel, etc.

Dalbergia greveana is a deciduous Tree growing to 15 m (49ft) by 12 m (39ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The flowers are pollinated by Insects. It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 15

Where it is found

Usually found in deciduous, seasonally dry forest and woodland, it is sometimes found as a shrub in grassland, at elevations up to 800 metres. It can be found on various soils, from sandy to limestone-derived and ferrallitic..

Africa - western Madagascar.

Conservation Status: Status: Lower Risk/near threatened

Countries/locations it is found in

Madagascar

How it is used

Food

Rating: 0

Medicine

Rating: 2

Pieces of branches are rubbed on stones with water to produce a paste which is applied to the face as a medicine against various ailments. Dichloromethane and methanolic extracts of Dalbergia greveana bark showed activity against gram-positive bacteria.

Antibacterial: Kills bacteria.

Miscellany: Various medicinal actions that need more clarification.

Other

Rating: 4

Other Uses: The heartwood is purplish brown, often with darker stripes; it is distinctly demarcated from the lighter coloured sapwood. The grain is generally straight, texture fine to moderately fine and even. The wood is heavy; very hard; once dry, it is very stable in service; it is durable, being resistant to termite and Lyctus attacks, but only moderately resistant to marine borers. It works well, both with hand tools and machine tools, but it blunts sawteeth rapidly; for nailing and screwing pre-boring is needed; painting and varnishing give moderate results because of the oily surface of the wood; gluing properties are moderate; it is suitable for sliced veneer. A very high quality rosewood, it is much in demand for cabinet making, furniture, marquetry and parquet flooring. It is one of the favoured woods for musical instruments, not only because of its beautiful colour and venation, but also because of its clearness of tone. It is also suitable for interior trim, joinery, ship and boat building, vehicle bodies, poles and piles, precision equipment, carvings, toys and novelties, sporting goods, handles, ladders, turnery, pattern making, veneer and plywood. The wood is used for fuel.

Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.

Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.

Miscellany: A rag-bag of items that are difficult to categorise.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil

How it is grown

The tree is believed to grow slowly. Natural regeneration of this species appears to be poor in comparison to other Dalbergia spp that come from western Madagascar, although in Morondava region the trees were found to be prolific seed bearers with abundant natural regeneration.

Propagating it: Like many species within the family Fabaceae, once they have been dried for storage the seeds of this species may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Slow

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Dalbergia ambongoensis Baill. Dalbergia eurybothrya Drake Dalbergia ikopensis Jum. Dalbergia isaloen