Dalbergia melanoxylon

African blackwood ( Dalbergia melanoxylon )

Dalbergia melanoxylon is a flowering plant of the genus Dalbergien ( Dalbergia ) in the subfamily of the Fabaceae ( Faboideae ). African blackwood (English: African Blackwood ) is the trading name of the wood of Dalbergia melanoxylon.

Description

Dalbergia melanoxylon grows as a tree.

Dissemination

Dalbergia melanoxylon comes in dry savanna areas of the Sahel and Sudan zone from Senegal to Eritrea and the East African savannah prior to northern South Africa.

Use

Blackwood (English African Blackwood ) is a deep dark brown to almost black hardwood of the rosewood family with fine black -violet drawing. It is mainly imported from Mozambique and Tanzania and was formerly false and misleading as Senegal and Mozambique Ebony Ebony commercially referred to, although it does not belong to the ebony family. At the beginning of the 16th century, it was brought to Europe by Portuguese merchants for the first time and has since secured a place in the woodwind instruments.

With a density of 1400 kg / m³ and a dry density of 1200 kg / m³ is grenadilla one of the hardest woods. The dark heartwood is surrounded by a bright yellow, very thin Splintholzschicht, the commonly used part of the tree is the heartwood. It is structured very fine and homogeneous and feels smooth and slightly oily to the touch. Because of the high hardness of saws are used with teeth of hard metal during processing. Because of its high density, it is impermeable to air and to the hardness can be in the wood drechseln precise and sharp edges. It is mainly used for clarinets, oboes and flutes, but also for recorders and some bagpipes as the Great Highland Bagpipes, especially in woodwind instruments. Also parts of organ keyboards are sometimes made ​​of African Blackwood.

Due to its slow growth and the currently increasing consumption already occurs for the first bottlenecks in the supply of Blackwood. Thus, for instruments such as the Great Highland Bagpipes, which are almost always built traditionally Grenadilla now looking for alternative types of wood.

In addition to the use of wood type also plays a role as animal feed - the leaves and the fruits are eaten especially by goats.