Pterocarpus

            Pterocarpus is a pantropical genus of trees in the family Fabaceae, most of which yield valuable timber traded as padauk (or padouk); other common names are mukwa or narra. 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 in the timber trade is African Padauk from Pterocarpus soyauxii which, when freshly cut, is a very bright red but when exposed to sunlight fades over time to a warm brown. Its colour makes it a favourite among woodworkers. Burmese Padauk 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. Some padauks, e.g. P. soyauxii, are used as herbal medicines, for example to treat skin parasites and fungal infections.

Species: A total of 35 species are currently accepted

1. Pterocarpus acapulcensis Rose

2. Pterocarpus albopubescens Hauman

3. Pterocarpus amazonum (Benth.) Amshoff

4. Pterocarpus angolensis - Kiaat

5. Pterocarpus antunesii (Taub.) Harms

6. Pterocarpus brenanii

7. Pterocarpus claessensii De Wild.

8. Pterocarpus dalbergioides - Andaman Padauk, Andaman Redwood, East Indian Mahogany

9. Pterocarpus echinatus Pers.

10. Pterocarpus erinaceus - Muninga, Barwood, Vène

11. Pterocarpus gilletii De Wild.

12. Pterocarpus hockii De Wild.

13. Pterocarpus homblei De Wild.

14. Pterocarpus indicus Pashu Padauk, Malay Padauk, New Guinea Rosewood

15. Pterocarpus lucens Guill. & Perr.

16. Pterocarpus macrocarpus Burmese Padauk

17. Pterocarpus marsupium - Indian Kino, Malabar Kino, benga, bijiayasal (W Nepal), venkai

18. Pterocarpus mildbraedii Harms

19. Pterocarpus mutondo De Wild.

20. Pterocarpus officinalis Jacq.

21. Pterocarpus orbiculatus DC.

22. Pterocarpus osun Craib

23. Pterocarpus rohrii Vahl

24. Pterocarpus rotundifolius (Sond.) Druce

25. Pterocarpus santalinoides - Mututi

26. Pterocarpus santalinus - Red Sandalwood, Red Sanders

27. Pterocarpus soyauxii - African Padauk, African Coralwood

28. Pterocarpus ternatus Rizzini

29. Pterocarpus tessmannii Harms

30. Pterocarpus tinctorius Welw.

31. Pterocarpus velutinus De Wild.

32. Pterocarpus villosus (Benth.) Benth.

33. Pterocarpus violaceus Vogel

34. Pterocarpus zehntneri Harms

35. Pterocarpus zenkeri Harms

Reference:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterocarpus

2. International Legume Database & Information Service (ILDIS) (2005): Genus Pterocarpus. Version 10.01, November 2005. Retrieved 2008-NOV-01.

3. World Agroforestry Centre (WAC) [2008]: AgroForestryTree Database - Pterocarpus soyauxii. Retrieved 2008-NOV-01.