Jacarandá da Bahia

In a previous entry I reported on Jacarandá do Pará (Dalbergia spruceana). The young tree you see in the attached image, along with my neighbor, Sr. Waldemar, is Jacarandá da Bahia (Dalbergia nigra). They're cousins; the trees, of course. And as names indicate, one is found in this State of Pará in the Amazon and the other in the Atlantic Forest. The wood of both is a favorite in making musical instruments, for example, veneers for pianos and organs, expensive guitars and other string instruments. Most of the Jacarandá do Pará wood harvested in the Amazon is exported to Germany and I understand that it's one of the most expensive leaving Brazil. As far as I know, it's not on the endangered species list. If it's not, it will be very soon! Jacarandá da Bahia, on the other hand, is an endangered species. It has been used in the making of luxurious furniture for several centuries and continues to be cut clandestinely, even today. The wood is so rare, it's difficult to come by in lumber form. Nearly all jacarandá da Bahia is used nowdays in laminated form. It´s often referred to as Bahia Rosewood. I planted a few seeds of the tree, given to me by a friend in the State of Minas Gerais, in November of 2002. I gave most of the seedlings away to friends but I still have one tree in a large plastic bucket and this one, which I finally got in the ground. It's becoming a beautiful tree!