Description

• Black Rosewood is predominantly a single-stemmed deciduous tree with a dome shaped crown of lush green foliage. The tree can become 20-40 m tall, with a trunk diameter of 1.5-2 m.
• The bark is gray, thin with irregular short cracks, peeling in fibrous longitudinal flakes. Alternately arranged leaves are odd-pinnate with 5-7 unequal sized leaflets originating from the same rachis.
• Leaflets are broadly blunt-tipped, dark green above and pale below.

Uses

• Tannins extracted from the bark are used to treat diarrhoea and indigestion.
• Timber used to make furniture, veneers, musical instruments, boat keels and joinery.
• Due to its nitrogen-fixing properties, the foliage is usually nitrogen-rich and is used as mulch or fodder. This species is usually planted with crops like rice, maize, beans, coffee and ginger.