Rosewood refers to a number of richly hued timbers, brownish with darker veining. All rosewoods are strong and heavy, taking an excellent polish, being suitable for flooring, furniture, and turnery. In general, supplies are poor through overexploitation. Some species become canopy trees (to 30 m high), and big pieces can occasionally be found in the trade. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Lumber. ... Parquetry floor. ... Furniture is the collective term for the movable objects which support the human body (seating furniture and beds), provide storage, and hold objects on horizontal surfaces above the ground. ... The canopy of a tree A canopy is an overhead roof or structure that provides shade or other shelter. ...

The pre-eminent rosewood appreciated in the western world is Dalbergia nigra, Brazilian rosewood (now CITES-listed). It is also known as Rio rosewood or Bahia rosewood. This wood has a strong sweet smell, which persists over the years, explaining the name "rosewood".

Another classic rosewood is Dalbergia latifolia known as (East) Indian rosewood or sonokeling. Other rosewoods can be found in tropical America, Southeast Asia, and Madagascar. All the real rosewoods belong to the genus Dalbergia, but note that the reverse is not true: only a few (perhaps not much over a dozen) species of the genus are recognized as rosewoods. The Neotropic ecozone is a terrestrial ecoregion which includes South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... Species See text Dalbergia is a large genus of small to medium-size trees, shrubs and lianas in the pea family, Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. ...

The woods of some other species in the genus Dalbergia are notable, even famous, woods in their own right: African Blackwood, cocobolo, kingwood, and tulipwood. The Indian souvenir trade tries to sell objects made of Dalbergia sissoo (sometimes stained purple) as if they were rosewood. The wood of some other species is usable for toolhandles, at best. Binomial name Dalbergia melanoxylon Guill. ... Binomial name Dalbergia retusa Hemsl. ... Binomial name Dalbergia cearensis Ducke Kingwood is classic furniture wood, almost exclusively used for inlays on very fine furniture. ... Tulipwood, also Brazilian tulipwood is a classic high-quality wood, very dense with a lovely figure. ...

The timber trade will sell many timbers under the name 'rosewood' (with an adjective) due to similarities in figure. A fair number of these timbers come from other leguminous genera: one that is often mentioned is Machaerium scleroxylon.

In essential oil

Steam distilled from the wood chips of the tree, rosewood oil is not widely used for therapeutic purposes, and little research into its medicinal value has been done. Its scent makes it popular as a fragrance and deodorant, and it is a favorite ingredient in many body and skin care products.

In musical instruments

The keys of a marimba or xylophone should be made of a dense wood that resonates strongly: Honduras rosewood is a favourite wood for this purpose. Of course, most such instruments are not made of this wood. Rio rosewood is (was) a popular wood for guitar fingerboards, and acoustic guitar backs. // The Marimba The Modern Instrument The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. ... Xylophone in Bali 1937 The xylophone (from the Greek meaning wooden sound) is a musical instrument in the percussion family which probably originated in Indonesia (Nettl 1956, p. ... A guitar is a stringed musical instrument. ... The fingerboard, also known as a fretboard, is a part of most stringed instruments. ... An acoustic guitar is a modern form of guitar descended from the Classical guitar, but generally strung with steel strings for a brighter, louder sound. ...