Dalbergia

Dalbergia is a broad genus of small to medium-sized trees, shrubs, and lianas belonging to the Fabaceae subfamily Faboideae of the pea family. It was recently ascribed to the Dalbergieae, an informal monophyletic Dalbergia group. The genus is native to the tropical regions of Central and South America, Africa, Madagascar, and southern Asia, and has a vast distribution. Many Dalbergia species are valuable timber trees, prized for their ornamental and frequently fragrant wood, which is high in aromatic oils. The rosewoods are the most well-known, named after the scent of the wood when cut, but the genus also produces a number of other valuable woods.

Given its color and grain, species like Dalbergia nigra, also known as Rio, Bahia, Brazilian rosewood, palisander de Rio Grande, or jacaranda, and Dalbergia latifolia, sometimes known as Indian Rosewood or Sonokeling, have been widely utilized in furniture. In traditional Chinese furniture, a number of East Asian species play a significant role. Some Lepidoptera species use Dalbergia species as food plants, including Bucculatrix mendax, which feeds only on Dalbergia sissoo. Due to the presence of sensitizing quinones in the wood, the Dalbergia species is infamous for triggering allergic reactions.