Yucatan

Common Name(s): Yucatan Rosewood, Panama Rosewood, Nicaraguan Rosewood Scientific Name: tucurensis Distribution: Central and South America Size: No data available Average Dried Weight: 46 lbs/ft3 (745 kg/m3) Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .61, .74

Janka Hardness: 1,540 lbf (6,850 N) Yucatan Rosewood (Dalbergia yucatensis) Modulus of Rupture: No data available Elastic Modulus: No data available Crushing Strength: No data available Shrinkage:No data available

Color/Appearance: Typically a cinnamon brown, heartwood color can be highly variable, ranging from a light brown to a deep, russet brown. Grain tends to be somewhat bland, but darker streaks or swirled grain is occasionally present. Overall appearance is very similar to Honduran Rosewood.

Grain/Texture: Grain is usually straight, though areas of wild grain are also seen. With a medium texture with large open pores, giving it a somewhat uneven feel. Moderate natural luster.

Endgrain: Diffuse-porous or semi-diffuse porous; very large pores in no specific arrangement, very few; solitary and radial multiples of 2-3; mineral deposits occasionally present; growth rings usually distinct due to increased pore size and frequency in earlywood; rays not visible without lens; extensive apotracheal parenchyma diffuse-in-aggregates, paratracheal parenchyma vasicentric, also weakly aliform, confluent, and banded.

Rot Resistance: No data available.

Workability: Overall easier to work than other , most likely on account of its lower density. Yucatan Rosewood also seems to have a lower oil content than other oily Dalbergia rosewoods, so gluing and finishing properties are somewhat better. Turns well and takes a nice polish.

Odor: Unlike other rosewoods, Yucatan Rosewood has little to no scent while being worked.

Allergies/Toxicity: Yucatan Rosewood is claimed to have a decreased occurrence of adverse health effects and allergic reactions. Although no scientific studies have been performed to date, its apparently lower oil content and lack of odor would suggest the to be of a different chemistry than other Dalbergia . See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safetyfor more information.

Pricing/Availability: Prices are in the low to mid range for an imported tropical species. Yucatan Rosewood is certainly much cheaper than most other Dalbergia species such as Cocobolo or Kingwood. At the time of this writing, (2011), Yucatan Rosewood is fairly new to the mainstream wood market, so it’s hard to tell if prices will remain stable, or increase due to over-harvesting—as is the unfortunate case with so many species within the genus. It is usually sold in the form of turning wood, or in thin or small stock sizes.

Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices or on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Common Uses: Turned objects, musical instruments, furniture, and small specialty wood objects.

Comments: Known more commonly as Panama Rosewood among guitar-makers. Mistakenly sold as Dalbergia yucatensis among many retailers selling turning blanks, the scientific name is not listed or recognized by any authoritative scientific source, and is more than likely Dalberiga tucurensis. The Dalbergia genus itself contains hundreds of species of and , and it has been said that all rosewoods are Dalbergia, but not all Dalbergia are rosewoods. So where does that leave Yucatan Rosewood? Perhaps only time will tell if the species is accepted, used, and welcomed into the annals of rosewood lore.

Related Species:

African Blackwood (Dalbergia melanoxylon) Amazon Rosewood (Dalbergia spruceana) Bois de Rose () Brazilian Rosewood (Dalbergia nigra) Burmese Blackwood (Dalbergia cultrata) Burmese Rosewood (Dalbergia oliveri) Cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa) East Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia) Honduran Rosewood (Dalbergia stevensonii) Kingwood (Dalbergia cearensis) Madagascar Rosewood (Dalbergia baronii) Sissoo (Dalbergia sissoo) Tulipwood (Dalbergia decipularis)

Scans/Pictures: Yucatan Rosewood Yucatan Rosewood (sanded) (sealed)

Yucatan Rosewood Yucatan Rosewood (endgrain) (endgrain 10x)

Yucatan Rosewood, Osage Orange, Black Walnut (turned)