Phayung
| Dalbergia cochinchinensis | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Genus: | Dalbergia |
| Species: | D. cochinchinensis |
| Binomial name | |
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Dalbergia cochinchinensis Pierre ex Laness. |
|
Dalbergia cochinchinensis, the Thailand Rosewood, Siamese Rosewood, or Tracwood, (Thai: พะยูง: phayung; Vietnamese: trắc (or cẩm lai nam bộ); Khmer: Kranhung "ក្រញូង") is a species of legume in the Fabaceae family.
It is a threatened tree yielding valuable hardwood found in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Conservationists project that the species could be extinct within 10 years (by 2026).
The demand for furniture made from Siamese rosewood, chiefly in China where it is known as hongmu, has led to an epidemic of illegal logging and trafficking, threatening the species with extinction and resulting in a war with poachers. In 2015 seven Thai forest rangers were killed trying to shut down illegal Siamese rosewood logging.
According to the Environmental Investigation Agency, "Rosewood prices started to spike with the increase in Chinese millionaires and the lead-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2011, EIA investigators witnessed a rosewood bed for sale in China for one million dollars. Since then black market prices have rocketed, making Siam rosewood more valuable than gold."
Siamese rosewood is denser than water, fine grained, and high in oils and resins. These properties make them dimensionally stable, hard wearing, rot and insect resistant, and when new, highly fragrant. The density and toughness of the wood also allows furniture to be built without the use of glue and nails, but rather constructed from jointery and doweling alone.
Although officially protected, trees of these species are subject to illegal logging in the Phu Phan and the Dangrek Mountains. The logs cut on the Cambodian side are usually smuggled into Thailand. Being highly valued in the wood carving and furniture industry, phayung logs easily find a market.
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Wikipedia