India padauk

India padauk, also known as narra (Pterocarpus indicus), is a timber tree native to Asia and Africa, belonging to the pea family Fabaceae. Its wood is highly valued for cabinetwork due to its hard, heavy nature and beautiful red or rose coloring, often with yellow variegation. This wood can achieve a high polish.1

The trees have compound leaves with five to nine leaflets and produce orange or yellow flowers in clusters. These flowers develop into winged, one-seeded legumes. Several species of Pterocarpus have large buttresses at the base of their trunks. Other related trees include Andaman padauk (Pterocarpus dalbergioides) and Burma padauk (Pterocarpus macrocarpus), both yielding reddish wood similar to mahogany.123