Dalbergia

Dalbergia is a large genus of small to medium-size trees, shrubs and lianas in the pea family, Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae.

[2][3][4] The genus has a wide distribution, native to the tropical regions of Central and South America, Africa, Madagascar and Southern Asia.

[5] Fossils of †Dalbergia nostratum have been found in rhyodacite tuff of Lower Miocene age in Southern Slovakia near the town of Lučenec.

[7] †Dalbergia lucida fossils have been described from the Xiaolongtan Formation of late Miocene age in Kaiyuan County, Yunnan Province, China.

[8] Many species of Dalbergia are important timber trees, valued for their decorative and often fragrant wood, rich in aromatic oils.

It is most often used in crossbanding and other veneers; it should not be confused with the "tulipwood" of the American tulip tree Liriodendron tulipifera, used in inexpensive cabinetwork.

Spines of D. armata
Flowers of D. lanceolaria
Pods of D. lanceolaria
Flowers of D. miscolobium
Wood from a Dalbergia sp. - MHNT