Dalbergia odorifera

Dalbergia odorifera
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Genus:	Dalbergia
Species:	D. odorifera
Binomial name
Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen

Dalbergia odorifera (jiangxiang huangtan in chinese) is a species of legume in the Fabaceae family. It is sometimes classified in the Papilionaceae family. Previously known as Dalbergia hainanensis, before 1980, it comes from Guangdong and southern Chinese lands such as Hainan Island^[1]. Its common name is "fragrant rosewood".^[2]

It is used as a wood product and in folk medicine^[2]. This valuable wood is known in China as Huali. Most of the higher quality furnitures from the Ming and early Qing dynasties were made of Huali, now known as Huanghuali, to distinguish it from the modern popular wood called xinhuali^[1].

Four compounds isolated from the root of this plant have been shown in a laboratory to have antioxidant properties.^[3]

It is threatened by habitat loss.

Source

• World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. Dalbergia odorifera. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 19 July 2007.

1. ^ ^{a b} The best Chinese furniture woods
2. ^ ^{a b} http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?423378
3. ^ Antioxidant activities of compounds isolated from Dalbergia odorifera T. Chen and their inhibition effects on the decrease of glutathione level of rat lens induced by UV irradiation