Dalbergia Oliveri seed
LATIN NAME: Dalbergia oliveri
COMMON NAME: Dalbergia Rosewood
A rosewood of the south-eastern Asian forests, the Dalbergia oliveri is a tree of a slow, patient life. It grows as a tall, deciduous tree with a broad, rounded crown and the fine, pinnate leaves of the many small, oval leaflets, and through the dry season it puts out its small, white or pale-pink, pea-like flowers, followed by the flat, papery pods of the one or few hard seeds. The old trees grow slowly, putting on a little wood each year, and their heartwood darkens to a rich, deep colour over the decades. It is a species of the flowering tree in the pea family, native to the warm forests of the south-eastern Asia, while it is treasured for its fine, richly coloured, fragrant wood, and it is known as the Dalbergia rosewood.
The Dalbergia rosewood belongs to the pea family, Fabaceae, and it is a tall, deciduous tree of the warm forests of the south-eastern Asia, while it is treasured for its fine, richly coloured, fragrant wood, and it is known as the Dalbergia rosewood. Its flat, papery pods hold the hard seeds that travel on the breeze and the water. It is prized for its fine, richly coloured heartwood.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
Most of the interest in this tree has come from its wood. The richly coloured, fragrant heartwood has made the Dalbergia one of the most sought-after timbers of the region, and the tree has been written about in the forestry and conservation papers, since the finest old trees have been heavily cut and the native populations are much reduced. Researchers and the conservationists have examined its story, its slow growth and its role in the forest, while its fine, pea-like flowers and its flat, papery pods have kept the botanists busy. The chemistry of the fragrant heartwood has been studied, and the tree’s slow growth has made it a subject of the careful forestry. With such fine and threatened wood behind it, the Dalbergia rosewood has earned a serious place in the record of study.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
In the forest and the garden, the Dalbergia rosewood is a tree to treasure. Its small, white or pale-pink, pea-like flowers feed the bees and the many insects, and its flat, papery pods feed the birds, while its broad, rounded crown gives a fine shade. Its richly coloured, fragrant heartwood has long been treasured for the fine furniture and the carvings of the region, and the native trees are best left to their forests. In the warm garden its fine, pinnate leaves and its pea-like flowers make a handsome tree, and its slow, patient ways are a reminder of the value of the old trees. The Dalbergia rosewood is a slow, patient tree for the grower, and for the warm-garden gardener it brings a fine-leaved, pea-flowered tree. These seeds wear a hard coat — nick each one with a fine file, then soak them overnight in tepid water and sow them at a shallow depth in pots of sandy, free-draining soil, keep the pots in a warm, bright spot and water them regularly, and they’ll be up within no time.