THE TIMBERS OF COMMERCE 



of planed wood : rays difficult to see : dull minute flakes. Rings 

 indefinite, though light zones are often apparent in light wood. 



Tangential Section. As the radial, but the rays are extremely 

 minute lines about o - 2 mm. high. 



No. 53. ROSEWOOD (Brazil). Dalbergia 



nigra. Allem. 



Plate V. Fig. 37. 



Natural Order. Leguminosese. 



Alternative Names. Jacaranda-wood. Jacaranda Cabiuna 

 in the Central and Southern Provinces of Brazil (76). Caviuna : 

 possibly Palissander-wood (131). Palissandre : Jacaranda preto 

 in Brazil (99). 



Sources of Supply. Brazil. West Indies. 



Physical Characters, etc. Recorded dry-weight 53J-65J lbs. 

 per cu. ft. Hardness Grades 2-4, very variable, compare any- 

 thing from Elm to Ebony. Sriiell fragrant and characteristic, 

 like rose-water. Taste none, or faintly bitter. Burns like a 

 torch with a long, lively, smoky flame : heat expels a copious 

 juice : embers glow in still air. Solution with water very strong, 

 deep-brown. 



Grain. Coarse but even, the pores being filled up. Surface, 

 like Ebony, rather dull, very dense, the pores shining. 



Bark. ? 



Uses. A valuable, highly-prized furniture-wood, chiefly used 

 for piano-cases. 



Authorities. J. Miers (76). Laslett (60), p. 284. Wiesner 

 (131), L. 6, p. 253. Saldanha da Gama (99). 



Difficult to distinguish from other nearly-related Rosewoods. 



Colour. Blackish or purplish-brown, very dark, sometimes 

 banded or striped with black and brown. 



Anatomical Characters. Transverse section : — 



Pores. Just visible by means of their size and reflection : 

 size 2 : evenly distributed but sometimes a loose pore-ring of a 

 single row : rare, 0-11 per mm : occasionally grouped or sub- 

 divided, mostly single, many pairs and a few threes : nearly 

 always with ruby or black contents. 



Rays. Very obscure, visible with difficulty, need micro., 

 size 5-6 : much less than a large pore-width apart : gently undu- 

 lating, not avoiding but rather interrupted by the pores : nume- 

 rous, 12-14 P er mm : laxer than the ground. 



Rings. Obscure : frequent bands of colour and narrow black 

 lines which do not of necessity indicate the layers of growth, 

 often eccentric to the true rings (see below). 



Soft-tissue. Frequent in fine, concentric lines (with micro 



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