African Blackwood

(Dalbergia melanoxylon)

Africa

The growth range of the species is reported to include a rather extensive range in savanna regions from Sudan southward to Mozambique, westward to Angola, and then northward to Nigeria and Senegal.

Black African Blackwood is also commonly referred to as Mufunjo (Uganda), Mpingo, Mugembe (Tanzania), Babanus (Sudan), Mukelete (Rhodesia), Grenadilla (Mozambique). These days African Blackwood is no longer regarded as being ebony, a name now reserved for a limited number of timbers yielded by the genus Diospyros.

The heartwood ranges from red to black and is typically dark purplish brown with black streaking. In contrast the sapwood is narrow and yellowish in color. The texture is fine and even with a grain that is straight, low in luster and slightly oily.