''Pterocarpus'' is a

pantropical A pantropical ("all tropics") distribution is one which covers Tropics, tropical regions of both hemispheres. Examples of species include caecilians, modern sirenians and the plant genera ''Acacia'' and ''Bacopa''. ''Neotropical'' is a zoogeogra ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of trees in the family

Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

. It belongs to the subfamily

Faboideae The Faboideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. An acceptable alternative name for the subfamily is Papilionoideae, or Papilionaceae when this group of plants is treated as a family. This subfamily is wide ...

, and was recently assigned to the informal

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

''Pterocarpus'' clade within the

Dalbergieae The tribe Dalbergieae is an early-branching clade within the flowering plant subfamily Faboideae (or Papilionaceae). Within that subfamily, it belongs to an unranked clade called the dalbergioids. It was recently revised to include many genera ...

. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' yield valuable timber traded as padauk (or padouk); other common names are mukwa or narra. '' P. santalinus'' also yields the most precious red sandalwood in China known as Zitan. 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 A burl (American English) or burr (British English) is a tree growth in which the grain has grown in a deformed manner. It is commonly found in the form of a rounded outgrowth on a tree trunk or branch that is filled with small knots from do ...

form. The

scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

ized

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

and means "wing fruit", referring to the unusual shape of the

seed pods This page provides a glossary of plant morphology. Botanists and other biologists who study plant morphology use a number of different terms to classify and identify plant organs and parts that can be observed using no more than a handheld magnify ...

in this genus.

Uses

Padauk wood is obtained from several

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

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
' woods contain either water- or alcohol-soluble substances and can be used as

dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution an ...

s. 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 The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in the ...

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

and

marimba The marimba () is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars that are struck by mallets. Below each bar is a resonator pipe that amplifies particular harmonics of its sound. Compared to the xylophone, the timbre ...

keys, and guitars. It is an important material in traditional

Chinese furniture The forms of Chinese furniture evolved along three distinct lineages which dates back to 1000 BC, based on ''frame and panel'', ''yoke and rack'' (based on post and rail seen in architecture) and ''bamboo'' construction techniques. Chinese ...

Some padauks, e.g. ''P. soyauxii'', are used as

herbal medicine Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remed ...

s, for example to treat skin parasites and fungal infections.

Chemistry

Pterocarpin Pterocarpin is a pterocarpan found in the Fabaceae species ''Baphia nitida'', ''Ononis viscosa subsp. breviflora'', ''Pterocarpus spp.'', ''Sophora angustifolia'', ''Sophora substrata'' and ''Swartzia madagascariensis ''Bobgunnia madagascariensi ...

is a

pterocarpan Pterocarpans are derivatives of isoflavonoids found in the family Fabaceae. It is a group of compounds which can be described as benzo-pyrano-furano-benzenes (i.e. 6''H''- enzofuro ,2-chromene skeleton) which can be formed by coupling of the B rin ...

found in ''Pterocarpus'' spp.

Species

A total of 35

is currently accepted: * ''

Pterocarpus acapulcensis ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical genus of trees in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus ...

'' Rose * ''

Pterocarpus albopubescens ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical genus of trees in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus ...

'' Hauman * '' Pterocarpus amazonum'' (Benth.) Amshoff * ''

Pterocarpus angolensis ''Pterocarpus angolensis'' (African teak, wild teak, pt, Girassonde, af, Kiaat, st, Morôtô, tn, Mokwa, ve, Mutondo, sn, Mukwa, sn, Mubvamaropa, zu, Umvangazi) is a species of ''Pterocarpus'' native to southern Africa, in Angola, Mozamb ...

'' DC.—

kiaat ''Pterocarpus angolensis'' (African teak, wild teak, pt, Girassonde, af, Kiaat, st, Morôtô, tn, Mokwa, ve, Mutondo, sn, Mukwa, sn, Mubvamaropa, zu, Umvangazi) is a species of ''Pterocarpus'' native to southern Africa, in Angola, Mozamb ...

* '' Pterocarpus antunesii'' (Taub.) Harms * '' Pterocarpus brenanii'' Barbosa & Torre * ''

Pterocarpus claessensii ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical genus of trees in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyly, monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pt ...

'' De Wild. * ''

Pterocarpus dalbergioides ''Pterocarpus dalbergioides'', the Andaman padauk, Andaman redwood or East Indian mahogany, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is sometimes called "narra", but this is just a generic term used for any of several ''Pterocar ...

'' DC.— Andaman padauk, Andaman redwood, East Indian mahogany * '' Pterocarpus echinatus'' Pers. * ''

Pterocarpus erinaceus ''Pterocarpus erinaceus'' is an endangered species of tree that is native to the Sahelian region of West Africa. It is listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. It is used for fu ...

'' Poir.—

muninga ''Pterocarpus erinaceus'' is an endangered species of tree that is native to the Sahelian region of West Africa. It is listed in Appendix II of the CITES, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. It is used ...

, barwood, vène * '' Pterocarpus gilletii'' De Wild. * '' Pterocarpus hockii'' De Wild. * '' Pterocarpus homblei'' De Wild. * ''

Pterocarpus indicus ''Pterocarpus indicus'' (commonly known as Amboyna wood, Malay padauk, Papua New Guinea rosewood, Philippine mahogany, Andaman redwood, Burmese rosewood, narra and asana in the Philippines, angsana, or Pashu padauk) is a species of ''Pterocarpus ...

'' Willd.— Pashu padauk, Malay padauk, New Guinea rosewood * '' Pterocarpus lucens'' Guill. & Perr. * ''

Pterocarpus macrocarpus ''Pterocarpus macrocarpus'', or Burma padauk, is a tree native to the seasonal tropical forests of southeastern Asia: in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It has been naturalized in India and the Caribbean. Description ''Pterocarp ...

'' Kurz— Burmese padauk * ''

Pterocarpus marsupium ''Pterocarpus marsupium'', also known as Malabar kino, Indian kino, Vijayasar, or Venkai is a medium to large, deciduous tree that can grow up to tall. It is native to India (where it occurs in parts of the Western Ghats in the Karnataka-Kerala ...

'' Roxb.—

Indian kino ''Pterocarpus marsupium'', also known as Malabar kino, Indian kino, Vijayasar, or Venkai is a medium to large, deciduous tree that can grow up to tall. It is native to India (where it occurs in parts of the Western Ghats in the Karnataka-Kerala ...

, Malabar kino, benga, bijiayasal (w Nepal), venkai * ''

Pterocarpus mildbraedii ''Pterocarpus mildbraedii'' is a semi-deciduous tree within the family Fabaceae. It is known as 'Oha' in Southeastern Nigeria and as 'Aguaya' in Ivory Coast. Description A perennial and semi-deciduous non climbing tree that can reach 25 m in he ...

'' Harms * ''

Pterocarpus mutondo ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical genus of trees in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus ...

'' De Wild. * ''

Pterocarpus officinalis ''Pterocarpus officinalis'', the dragonsblood tree, is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, native to southern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. It is typically found in coastal freshwater or slig ...

'' Jacq. * ''

Pterocarpus orbiculatus ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical genus of trees in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus ...

'' DC. * '' Pterocarpus osun'' Craib * ''

Pterocarpus rohrii ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical genus of trees in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' ...

'' Vahl * ''

Pterocarpus rotundifolius ''Pterocarpus rotundifolius'', the round-leaved bloodwood, is a species of Fabaceae, fabaceous tree that is native to mesic and well-watered woodlands of Africa south of the equator. Subspecies Up to three subspecies are recognized, but specimen ...

'' (Sond.) Druce ** subsp. ''polyanthus'' (Harms) Mendonça & E. P. Sousa *** var. ''martinii'' (Dunkley) Mendonça & E. P. Sousa *** var. ''polyanthus'' (Harms) Mendonça & E. P. Sousa ** subsp. ''rotundifolius'' (Sond.) Druce * ''

Pterocarpus santalinoides ''Pterocarpus santalinoides'' is a tree species in the legume family (biology) ( Fabaceae); it is locally known as ''mututi''. It has a remarkable bi-continental distribution, native to tropical western Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, G ...

'' DC.—

mututi ''Pterocarpus santalinoides'' is a tree species in the legume family (biology) (Fabaceae); it is locally known as ''mututi''. It has a remarkable bi-continental distribution, native to tropical western Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gam ...

* ''

Pterocarpus santalinus ''Pterocarpus santalinus'', with the common names red sanders, red saunders, protect it Yerra Chandanam, Chenchandanam, red sandalwood, Rakta Chandana, and saunderswood, is a species of ''Pterocarpus'' endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats mou ...

'' L. f.—

red sandalwood ''Pterocarpus santalinus'', with the common names red sanders, red saunders, protect it Yerra Chandanam, Chenchandanam, red sandalwood, Rakta Chandana, and saunderswood, is a species of ''Pterocarpus'' endemic to the southern Eastern Ghats mou ...

, red sanders * ''

Pterocarpus soyauxii ''Pterocarpus soyauxii'', the African padauk or African coralwood, is a species of ''Pterocarpus'' in the family Fabaceae, native to central and tropical west Africa, from Nigeria east to Congo-Kinshasa and south to Angola.International Legume ...

'' Taub.—

African padauk ''Pterocarpus soyauxii'', the African padauk or African coralwood, is a species of ''Pterocarpus'' in the family Fabaceae, native to central and tropical west Africa, from Nigeria east to Congo-Kinshasa and south to Angola.International Legume D ...

, African coralwood * ''

Pterocarpus ternatus ''Pterocarpus'' is a pantropical genus of trees in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic ''Pterocarpus'' clade within the Dalbergieae. Most species of ''Pterocarpus'' ...

'' Rizzini * '' Pterocarpus tessmannii'' Harms * '' Pterocarpus tinctorius'' Welw. * '' Pterocarpus velutinus'' De Wild. * '' Pterocarpus villosus'' (Benth.) Benth. * '' Pterocarpus violaceus'' Vogel * '' Pterocarpus zehntneri'' Harms * '' Pterocarpus zenkeri'' Harms

Notes

: Some sources treat ''P. echinatus'' as a synonym of ''P. indicus''.

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q132894 Fabaceae genera Medicinal plants Pantropical flora Taxa named by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin