Dalbergia baronii

Dalbergia baronii [1] is a species of flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is endemic to Madagascar.[2] It is named after the English missionary and botanist Rev. Richard Baron.

Dalbergia baronii
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Dalbergia
Species:
D. baronii
Binomial name
Dalbergia baronii
Baker.

Description

Vegetative characters

Dalbergia baronii is a shrub to large tree. The leaves are imparipinnate, 3–7.5 cm long, and have a hairy rachis. The 19–25 alternate leaflets are 0.5–2 cm long, mostly glabrous and glossy above, and with dense and long hairs beneath.[2]

Generative characters

It forms axillary inflorescences that are paniculate and distinctively shorter than the subtending leaves. The flowers are white, 4–5 mm long, and have a violin-shaped standard petal and pubescent gynoecium. The fruits usually contain one seed (rarely up to three seeds). The pericarp is "indistinctly veined, slightly thickened, corky and fissured over the seed".[2]

Similar species

Habitat and distribution

Dalbergia baronii inhabits evergreen lowland forests, marshes and mangrove stands along the East coast of Madagascar.[2] It occurs from sea level up to 150 m, rarely up to an elevation of 600 m.[2]

Uses

It produces a durable, black-striped heartwood[3] that is locally used for cabinet making, furniture and marquetry.[2] It was internationally traded, notably to produce guitar bodies and fingerboards,[3] amongst others.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List lists Dalbergia baronii as vulnerable.[4] Its natural stands have drastically declined in response to both habitat loss and selective logging.[5] The natural habitat of Dalbergia baronii is among the most threatened Malagasy habitats.[6]

Due to overexploitation and the risk of confusion with similar species, Dalbergia baronii and other Dalbergia species from Madagascar were listed in CITES Appendix II[7] in 2013, currently with a zero export quota.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Dalbergia baronii". Catalogue of the Plants of Madagascar - Tropicos. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  2. Bosser, J. & Rabevohitra, R. (2002). "Tribe Dalbergieae". In Du Puy, D.J. (ed.). The Leguminosae of Madagascar. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p. 329. ISBN 1-900347-91-1.
  3. "Madagascar Rosewood". The Wood Database. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  4. Du Puy, D.J. (1998). "Dalbergia baronii". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1998: e.T33955A9824813. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T33955A9824813.en.
  5. Schuurman D, Lowry II P (2009). "The Madagascar rosewood massacre". Madagascar Conservation & Development. 4 (2): 98–102.
  6. Ganzhorn J, Lowry II P, Schatz G, Sommer S (2001). "The biodiversity of Madagascar: one of the world's hottest hotspots on its way out". Oryx. 35 (4): 346–348. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3008.2001.00201.x.
  7. "CITES appendices I, II and III". Convention on International Trade in Endagered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  8. How CITES works
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