Pterocarpus indicus seed

LATIN NAME: Pterocarpus indicus

COMMON NAME: Narra, Amboyna, Rosewood

The narra is a noble and precious tree of the warm forests, and its rose-coloured timber and its golden pea-flowers have made it one of the most valued of the trees of the East. It grows as a tall, deciduous tree, reaching up to thirty metres, with a rounded crown of pinnate leaves and, in the warm season, the clusters of many small, fragrant, golden-yellow, pea-like flowers, followed by the round, flat, winged pods of one or two seeds. It is a species of the bean family, native to southeastern Asia, northern Australasia and the western Pacific Ocean islands, and it is known as the narra in the Philippines and the rosewood in many places, while its timber is among the most precious and most prized of the warm world.

The narra belongs to the bean family, Fabaceae, and it is a species of Pterocarpus native to southeastern Asia, northern Australasia and the western Pacific Ocean islands, including Cambodia, southernmost China, East Timor, Indonesia and Malaysia. It is known as the narra, the amboyna or the rosewood, and it is prized for its rose-coloured timber and its golden pea-flowers.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The narra has a genuine and distinguished place in both forestry and conservation research. It has been studied in forestry and in wood science, since its timber is among the most precious and most valued of the warm world, and researchers have examined the properties of the wood, its beauty and its uses, while the rose-coloured timber has been prized for the furniture, the musical instruments and the fine woodwork, and the value of the narra timber has drawn attention in the international wood and trade press. Because the tree has been over-harvested for its precious timber, the species has also been studied in conservation biology, and researchers have examined its status, its remaining forests and the pressures on it, while the protection of the narra has drawn attention in the international conservation press as a precious tree under pressure, and its cultivation in the plantations has been encouraged. The tree has also been studied in ecology, since it is a native of the warm forests, and its growth and its role in the forest community have been examined, while its value to the wildlife and to the landscape has been examined. For a tree of such nobility and such value, the narra has a rich and distinguished record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Ecologically, the narra is a noble tree of the warm forests. Its golden flowers feed the bees and the birds, and its flat, winged pods feed the wildlife, while its great canopy gives shade and shelter, and it is a presence in the forests of the East.

Its economic value is enormous. Its rose-coloured timber is among the most precious of the warm world, prized for the furniture, the musical instruments and the fine woodwork, and the value of the narra has drawn attention in the international wood and trade press, while the protection of this precious tree has become a growing concern in the conservation press. For a grower, the narra is a rewarding and noble tree, and for a gardener in a warm region it brings golden pea-flowers and a tree of precious renown. The seeds are easy — nick them lightly, then soak them in warm water overnight, and sow them in a pot of moist, free-draining compost in a warm, sunny spot, and they’ll sprout within a few weeks, growing on into a noble, golden-flowered tree.

Amboine, Pashu Padauk,
Malay Paduak, New Guinea
Rosewood