Pterocarpus

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File:Pterocarpus officinalis MHNT.BOT.2010.6.39.jpg

Wood of P. officinalis

Pterocarpus is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic Pterocarpus clade within the Dalbergieae.<ref name="Lavin" /><ref name="Cardoso" /> Most species of Pterocarpus yield valuable timber traded as padauk (or padouk), usually pronounced Template:IPAc-en or Template:IPAc-en;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> other common names are mukwa or narra.

The west African species may be traded as African rosewood.<ref>The Rosewood Trade: An Illicit Trail from Forest to Furniture Authors: Sandy Ong / Andy Carver, Date: 29 January 2019, URL: https://e360.yale.edu/features/the-rosewood-trade-the-illicit-trail-from-forest-to-furniture (Yale School of Environment)</ref> P. santalinus also yields the most precious red sandalwood in China known as Zitan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The wood from the narra tree (P. indicus) and the Burmese padauk tree (P. macrocarpus) is marketed as amboyna when it has grown in the burl form.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The scientific name is Latinized Ancient Greek and means "wing fruit", referring to the unusual shape of the seed pods in this genus.

Uses

Padauk wood is obtained from several species of Pterocarpus. All padauks are of African or Asian origin. Padauks are valued for their toughness, stability in use, and decorativeness, most having a reddish wood. Most Pterocarpus<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> woods contain either water- or alcohol-soluble substances and can be used as dyes.

The padauk found most often is African padauk from P. 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) is P. macrocarpus while Andaman padauk is P. dalbergioides. Padauks can be confused with true rosewoods 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 make xylophone, organ and marimba keys, and guitars. It is an important material in traditional Chinese furniture.

File:African Padauk wood.jpg

African padauk wood

Some padauks, e.g. P. soyauxii, are used as herbal medicines, for example to treat skin parasites and fungal infections.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Padauk wood is also used as a spice, for example in Swedish soused herring.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>