Pterocarpus is a pantropical tree genus in the Fabaceae family. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyleticPterocarpus clade within the Dalbergieae.[2][3] Most species of Pterocarpus yield valuable timber traded as padauk (or padouk), usually pronounced /pəˈduːk/or/ˈpædˌoʊk/;[4] other common names are mukwaornarra. The west African species may be traded as African 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 as amboyna when it has grown in the burl form.[8] The scientific nameisLatinizedAncient Greek and means "wing fruit", referring to the unusual shape of the seed pods in this genus.
Padauk wood is obtained from several speciesofPterocarpus. 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[9] 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.
African padauk wood
Some padauks, e.g. P. soyauxii, are used as herbal medicines, for example to treat skin parasites and fungal infections.[10]
^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.
^"ILDIS LegumeWeb entry for Pterocarpus". International Legume Database & Information Service. Cardiff School of Computer Science & Informatics. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
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