Dalbergia retusa

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Common products:
The species is primarily traded as solid wood, lumber, and veneer. Common trade names include cocobolo, nambar, granadillo, and cámbala. Furniture, musical instruments (especially guitar back and sides), knife handles, pens, brushes, turned objects, and specialty carving are the predominant product classes.

Industrial and craft applications:
High density and hardness support use in heavy-duty items such as tool handles, billiard cues, sporting goods, and durable craft objects. The wood yields dense, clean charcoal used in metalworking and art.

Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
There are no documented edible uses.

Colorants and tanning:
No documented use as a natural dye or source of tanning materials.

Wood and fiber:
Bast or leaf fibers are not documented for commercial use. The plant is used as a fiber source only as timber.

Fragrance and cosmetics:
No fragrance or cosmetic use is documented. Some individuals may develop contact dermatitis from handling or sawing the wood; this is a safety note rather than a use.

Properties relevant to use:
The heartwood is very dense and hard, with an interlocked to wavy grain and fine texture. Color ranges from orange-red through brown to near-black, often with dark streaks, and darkens on exposure. High oil content contributes to dimensional stability and a lustrous finish without extensive resin sealing. Heartwood is reported to resist fungal decay and insect attack. Wet-sanding and fine machine turning can produce high-gloss finishes due to the oil content and resinous extractives; surfaces typically accept polishing and lacquer well. Volatile constituents that contribute to the wood’s characteristic odor may cause respiratory irritation in workers during machining.

Standards and regulation:
Dalbergia retusa is listed in CITES Appendix II; export and import require permits and an export permit. The U.S. Lacey Act prohibits illegal sourcing and requires a declaration of origin for timber. The European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) and the EU FLEGT Regulation restrict trade from non-compliant sources. National timber regulations and customs requirements in other major markets apply.

Sustainability and sourcing:
Natural populations are depleted over much of the native range (Mexico to northern South America), withCITES-listing prompted by high demand and limited sustainable management. Commercial supply relies heavily on selective harvesting and limited plantation establishment. Buyers typically require supplier declarations and compliance with CITES and national timber regulations to reduce the risk of illegal sourcing.

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No germination or propagation data was added yet.

No distribution data was extracted from POWO/KEW yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

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