Rosewood: Asia's most valuable wood

[boomerangutang]

As most of you'all probably know, rosewood is quite valuable. It's being illegally logged in Thailand. Most of that activity is on the Thai borders with Cambodia, and secondarily the border with Laos. The largest remaining rosewood tree in Thailand is guarded 24/7 by an entire platoon of Thai soldiers. More than a few poorly-paid Thai forestry workers have been killed in the course of trying to stem its trade.

No surprise, the Chinese are crazy about acquiring it, and will pay any amount. Another non-surprise is Thai military brass are among the most willing to organize cutting and shipping logs.

Here's added details: link

I’ve planted 15 rosewood seedlings on my property thus far, and plan to plant more. They’re slow growers, but it’s a good feeling to put something aside for future generations. Also, I cut a branch off a mature rosewood (the branch was threatening to fall on a house roof), and its sap was dark red, but it smelled sweet. No wonder one of its colloquial names is ‘blood tree.’

If you reside in Thailand, chances are there's at least one plant nursery near you which sells seedlings for a pittance (30 to 50 baht each). For each little tree planted, I get one of those white rice bags, split it open and rip a small hole in the center, for the tree. The bag keeps the weeds/grass down, and keeps the soil cool and moist. Weeds grow so agressively here in Chiang Rai, that, the bag also marks where the seedling is, so it's not mowed down during weed-cutting.

Its Latin name is: dalbergia Cochinchinensis and Thais call it 'Mai Du' or 'Payung' or perhaps other names.

[aussiandrew]

Thanks Boomer for the informative information on the special tree.

[David48]

I found this News Item worth a read ... http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/763202-team-clears-encroached-land-plants-siamese-rosewood-trees/

[ezzra]

I found this News Item worth a read ... http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/763202-team-clears-encroached-land-plants-siamese-rosewood-trees/

Interesting article, wonder which Pu yai 'own" or put a claim to those trees, hard to accept that

the greedy people in this country will let such a gold mine just sit there...

[yellowboat]

Yes, it is extremely sad.

[Farang99]

Do you know if it would grow here in Phuket? If so, I will get some young plants and give them a try.

[anon022]

I applaud you for acting out of conscience instead of greed, and planting Rosewood trees instead of Euca and rubber, which are slowly transforming Isaan's landscape into endless boredom.

[HerbalEd]

A little-know Thai exotic wood that is as valuable ... if not more so ... that Rose Wood is Maca Wood aka Makkha (Afzelia xylocarpa). Price has doubled in Thailand in past ten years.

It is a very beautiful wood and I was fortunate to have bought a beach villa in Bang Saray that has Maca Wood flooring, stair cases, ceilings, railings, etc.

Anyone know where to buy Maca Wood seedlings?

[boomerangutang]

I'm somewhat familiar with 'maca' or, as I spell it; 'maka.'

I built a t&g kitchen counter with it, 15 yrs ago in C.Rai. Very handsome reddish-brown (similar to rosewood). Also hard and long-lasting.

Thais (and anyone else) should be encouraged to plant all sorts of special lumber trees, instead of just teak. I like teak (did you know it is a member of the MINT family?), but there are other special trees. It's the Thai mentality: once they get an idea that one thing is good to do (plant teak trees, for example), it precludes ideas of any other related things. Examples: north on the super hwy, there dozens of road-side vendors selling nothing but pineapple - none have any other fruits.

p.s. if anyone wants rosewood tree seeds, let me know, and I'll mail some for the cost of postage. I have access to hundreds.

[soidog2]

I PM'd a request to you.

We have lots of land, always planting something. Just replaced a large number of Eucalyptus with Mahogany.

[mrdome]

Maca wood, will check it out.

[nev]

we have 2 slabs of wood in the shed about 5m long and 1m wide, wife says it is illegal to have but has been their for around 10 years or more, not sure what to do with it might make a kitchen bench or a seat in the lounge.

[boomerangutang]

we have 2 slabs of wood in the shed about 5m long and 1m wide, wife says it is illegal to have but has been their for around 10 years or more, not sure what to do with it might make a kitchen bench or a seat in the lounge.

my next door neighbor (a Thai policeman) has a slab of rosewood lying by his unfinished house. My hill tribe helper showed it to me and claimed it's rosewood. It's 7' x 3' x 6 inches thick and would take 4 strong men to pick it up.

I spoke with a lovely lass at the local lumber yard. She said there are 3 types of wood which are illegal to buy/sell or cut in Thailand: teak, maka and rosewood. Even so, after doing some study, it appears there are at least two (possibly more) trees which could be called rosewood, depending on who you talk to. Dalbergia (rosewood's Latin name) can have course brown bark or it can have smooth silvery bark, depending on who's pointing it out. There's another tree with yellowish smooth bark which could be called rosewood by those who look at the wood itself (but it's not).

Also: I've seen rosewood which has blond sapwood, and another tree (also called rosewood) which has no visible sapwood. It's all reddish. My assumption is the the all-red wood is actual rosewood. All the trees I mentioned have red sap, so that thickens the confusion. However, another indication of rosewood are the seeds: they're tan colored when dry (green when fresh) the size of a flattened garbanzo bean with a paper-like frill all the way around, for fluttering thru the air. altogether, the diameter of a squash ball. Flowers are yellow in bunches. It's a legume and fixes nitrogen.

[nev]

we have 2 slabs of wood in the shed about 5m long and 1m wide, wife says it is illegal to have but has been their for around 10 years or more, not sure what to do with it might make a kitchen bench or a seat in the lounge.

my next door neighbor (a Thai policeman) has a slab of rosewood lying by his unfinished house. My hill tribe helper showed it to me and claimed it's rosewood. It's 7' x 3' x 6 inches thick and would take 4 strong men to pick it up.

I spoke with a lovely lass at the local lumber yard. She said there are 3 types of wood which are illegal to buy/sell or cut in Thailand: teak, maka and rosewood. Even so, after doing some study, it appears there are at least two (possibly more) trees which could be called rosewood, depending on who you talk to. Dalbergia (rosewood's Latin name) can have course brown bark or it can have smooth silvery bark, depending on who's pointing it out. There's another tree with yellowish smooth bark which could be called rosewood by those who look at the wood itself (but it's not).

Also: I've seen rosewood which has blond sapwood, and another tree (also called rosewood) which has no visible sapwood. It's all reddish. My assumption is the the all-red wood is actual rosewood. All the trees I mentioned have red sap, so that thickens the confusion. However, another indication of rosewood are the seeds: they're tan colored when dry (green when fresh) the size of a flattened garbanzo bean with a paper-like frill all the way around, for fluttering thru the air. altogether, the diameter of a squash ball. Flowers are yellow in bunches. It's a legume and fixes nitrogen.

Mate I spoke to my wife and she confirmed it is rosewood, our slabs are only around 30MMS thick, we also have a thai style bench that she says is rosewood was given to her mum by her brother many years ago.

[boomerangutang]

we have 2 slabs of wood in the shed about 5m long and 1m wide, wife says it is illegal to have but has been their for around 10 years or more, not sure what to do with it might make a kitchen bench or a seat in the lounge.

my next door neighbor (a Thai policeman) has a slab of rosewood lying by his unfinished house. My hill tribe helper showed it to me and claimed it's rosewood. It's 7' x 3' x 6 inches thick and would take 4 strong men to pick it up.

I spoke with a lovely lass at the local lumber yard. She said there are 3 types of wood which are illegal to buy/sell or cut in Thailand: teak, maka and rosewood. Even so, after doing some study, it appears there are at least two (possibly more) trees which could be called rosewood, depending on who you talk to. Dalbergia (rosewood's Latin name) can have course brown bark or it can have smooth silvery bark, depending on who's pointing it out. There's another tree with yellowish smooth bark which could be called rosewood by those who look at the wood itself (but it's not).

Also: I've seen rosewood which has blond sapwood, and another tree (also called rosewood) which has no visible sapwood. It's all reddish. My assumption is the the all-red wood is actual rosewood. All the trees I mentioned have red sap, so that thickens the confusion. However, another indication of rosewood are the seeds: they're tan colored when dry (green when fresh) the size of a flattened garbanzo bean with a paper-like frill all the way around, for fluttering thru the air. altogether, the diameter of a squash ball. Flowers are yellow in bunches. It's a legume and fixes nitrogen.

Mate I spoke to my wife and she confirmed it is rosewood, our slabs are only around 30MMS thick, we also have a thai style bench that she says is rosewood was given to her mum by her brother many years ago.

sounds like that slab would make a fine table.

update: I've planted 15 more rosewood (on two parcels) and 7 maka. I won't be around to harvest them (in 50 years?), but some other folks will be. Probably the son of my ex-g.f. She's hill tribe and my 6 rai property is in her name. I'd rather have my land revert to someone needy, than someone who's already rolling in the dough. When her mom and dad died, both from AIDS (they were opium junkies), all she got at that time were a dozen chickens. Right away, her step father commandeered the chickens, which left her with nothing. She became a 'flower girl' selling roses on the sidewalk. That's when I met her.

[djayz]

I have a few seeds in the mean time (thanks again) and was wondering what's the best way and time of year to get them to grow? None of the seeds I've planted (in early to mid December) are growing.