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Indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia)

Sonokeling or Java palisandre or Indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae, a large tree producing hardwood, medium weight and high quality, rounded leaves, thin and broad pods, highly adaptive, grows in dry and rocky landscapes with lots of sunlight.

D. latifolia has medium to large size, cylindrical stems, up to 40 m high with a ring of up to 2 m, the bark is brownish gray and slightly cracked longitudinally. The crown is dense, dome-shaped and sheds leaves.

Dlium Indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia)


The leaves are compound and pinnate oddly with 5-7 strands that have different sizes and appear alternately on the shaft. The leaves are round or elongated in width or heart, the upper surface is green and the surface is pale green.

The flowers are small, 0.5-1 cm long and clustered in panicles. The pods are green to brown when ripe and are elongated lanceolate, pointed at the base and tip. The pods have 1-4 seeds which are soft and brownish.

Indian rosewood grows at elevations below 600 m, rainfall of 750-5000 mm/year mainly on rocky, infertile and dry soils periodically. Grows in groups in seasonal forests that drop their leaves during the dry season

Sonokeling has a specific gravity of 0.77-0.86 at a moisture content of 15%. Smooth texture with straight and sometimes wavy fibers. Wood is also durable, resistant to termite and fungus attacks. The heartwood is a dark mauve brown with very dark brown to black streaks. The sapwood is whitish to yellowish in color and 3-5 cm thick.













Wood is used to make furniture, cupboards and various high-class home furnishings. Veneers are of decorative value and are used to coat the surface of expensive plywood. The leaves are used for animal feed and fertilizer. Roots fix nitrogen and are used to restore soil fertility.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Dalbergieae
Genus: Dalbergia
Species: Dalbergia latifolia

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