Tree Conservation Information Service
| Dalbergia latifolia
Leguminosae Indian rosewood, Bombay blackwood, lalshisham, Palisandre de I'Inde (Fr), Indonesia: sonokeling, sonobrits, sonosunga (Java). Viet Nam: tr[aws]c (Soerianegara & Lemmens, 1993). Distribution This species is found in Nepal, Java and western and north-eastern India, in the states of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It also occurs in Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh and sporadically in northern India (Kumar, 1994). Habitat Mainly found in monsoon forests in association with species such as Tectona grandis, Albizzia chinensis, and Cassia fistula. In the southwestern part of its range, it also occurs in evergreen forests. The annual rainfall in its natural habitat is between 750 and 5000 m on deep, well-drained, moist soils. The species thrives in a variety of edaphic conditions including alluvial, lateritic and gneissic soils and broken rock (Lamprecht, 1989). Population status and trends The species is reported to have declined in Mysore and Kerala (Sirvarajan, 1969). Role of species in the ecosystem Threats Because of the high value of the timber, it is under considerable pressure of illegal felling and theft, though such data has not been quantified so far (Kumar, 1994). Utilisation This species is of great commercial significance (Collins, Sayer and Whitmore, 1991). The timber is used for fine furniture and cabinet making, musical instruments, turnery and decorative veneers. The species is planted as a shade tree (Soerianegara & Lemmens, 1993). Trade In 1990 a total of 16 750 m3 of Dalbergia timber was harvested in Java, the majority of which was D. sissoo which is planted. The price of sonokeling wood from Java is comparable with that of teak wood (Soerianegara & Lemmens, 1993). IUCN Conservation category VU A1c,d (Asia Regional Workshop, 1997). Conservation measures Plantations have been established in India, Java and Africa. Protection is provided under the Indian Forest Act. Export in the form of logs and sawn timber is banned (Kumar, 1994). Forest management and silviculture A light demanding species, both natural and artificial propagation are possible. Direct seeding, coppicing and vegetative propagation with root cuttings are all practised. Rotations of between 60 and 150 years are required for the production of high-grade timber (Lamprecht, 1989). References Asia Regional Workshop, 1997. Conservation and sustainable management of trees project workshop held in Hanoi, VietNam, August 1997 Collins, N.M., Sayer, J.A. and Whitmore, T.C. (Eds.) 1991. The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests Asia and the Pacific. Simon & Schuster: Singapore. Kumar, A. 1994. Personal communication to M. Read and S. Oldfield. Lamprecht, H. 1989. Silviculture in the Tropics. GTZ Lemmens, R.H.M.J., Soerianegara, I. & Wong, W.C. (Eds.) 1995. Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 5(2) Timber Trees: Minor commercial timbers. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden 655pp. Sirvarajan, M. 1969. On the export trade of Indian rosewood. Indian Forester 95(12). Soerianegara, I. & Lemmens, R.H.M.J. (Eds.) 1993. Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 5(1) Timber trees: major commercial timbers. Pudoc Scientific Publishers, Wageningen. WCMC. 1991. Provision of data on rare and threatened tropical timber species. Unpublished report, prepared under contract to the EC. |
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