Tulipwood
BOTANICAL NAME
Dalbergia frutescens (I have also seen reports saying Dalbergia variabilis and Dalbergia decipularis, but these seem to be mistaken)
NOTE
Tulipwood’s name is occasionally confused with the North American tulip tree (liriodendron tulipfera), better known as yellow poplar, but the two have nothing in common.
Tulipwood is a true rosewood
COMMON NAMES
bois de rose, Brazilian tulipwood, jacaranda rosa, pau de fuso, pau rosa, pinkwood
TREE
Grows 20' to 35' high and less than 16" in diameter and the growth is slow, with trees taking as much as centuries to mature even though they are quite small.
TYPE
Hardwood
COLOR
Heartwood is cream colored to salmon colored but dominated by stipes of red, violet, purple and rose --- generally the red streaking dominates. The sapwood is yellow to yellowish white. Heartwood color fades with age. This is a strikingly beautiful wood.
GRAIN
Straight to wavy or roey. One report says interlocked but that absolutely has not been my experience.
TEXTURE
Most reports say moderately fine; my own experience is that it is moderate to very fine.