Pterocarpus

Pterocarpus
Pterocarpus echinatus seed pods
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Faboideae
Tribe:	Dalbergieae
Genus:	Pterocarpus Jacq.
Species
35, see text

Wood of Pterocarpus officinalis.

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 yield valuable timber traded as padauk (or padouk); other common names are mukwa or narra. The wood is marketed as amboyna when it has grown in the burl form. 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 woods contain either water- or alcohol-soluble substances and can be used as dyes.

The padauk found most often is African Padauk from Pterocarpus 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 Pterocarpus macrocarpus while Andaman Padauk is Pterocarpus dalbergioides. Padauks can be confused with 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 and marimba keys, and guitars. It is an important material in traditional Chinese furniture.

Some padauks, e.g. P. soyauxii, are used as herbal medicines, for example to treat skin parasites and fungal infections.

Chemistry

Pterocarpin is a pterocarpan found in Pterocarpus spp.

Species

A total of 35 species are currently accepted:

• Pterocarpus acapulcensis Rose
• Pterocarpus albopubescens Hauman
• Pterocarpus amazonum (Benth.) Amshoff
• Pterocarpus angolensis DC.—Kiaat
• Pterocarpus antunesii (Taub.) Harms
• Pterocarpus brenanii Barbosa & Torre
• Pterocarpus claessensii De Wild.
• Pterocarpus dalbergioides DC.—Andaman Padauk, Andaman Redwood, East Indian Mahogany
• Pterocarpus echinatus Pers.
• Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir.—Muninga, Barwood, Vène
• Pterocarpus gilletii De Wild.
• Pterocarpus hockii De Wild.
• Pterocarpus homblei De Wild.
• Pterocarpus indicus Willd.—Pashu Padauk, Malay Padauk, New Guinea Rosewood
• Pterocarpus lucens Guill. & Perr.
• Pterocarpus macrocarpus Kurz—Burmese Padauk
• Pterocarpus marsupium Roxb.—Indian Kino, Malabar Kino, benga, bijiayasal (W Nepal), venkai
• Pterocarpus mildbraedii Harms
• Pterocarpus mutondo De Wild.
• Pterocarpus officinalis Jacq.
• Pterocarpus orbiculatus DC.
• Pterocarpus osun Craib
• Pterocarpus rohrii Vahl
• Pterocarpus rotundifolius (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 DC.—Mututi
• Pterocarpus santalinus L. f.—Red Sandalwood, Red Sanders
• Pterocarpus soyauxii Taub.—African Padauk, African Coralwood
• Pterocarpus ternatus 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

¹ Some sources treat Pterocarpus echinatus as a synonym of Pterocarpus indicus.

External links

• Pterocarpus in West African plants – A Photo Guide.