Australian Rosewood: Rose Mahogany Timber of Eastern Australia
Australian Rosewood is a native Australian timber also known as Rose Mahogany. Australian Woodwork identifies the Rosewood used in its collection as Dysoxylum fraserianum, the name still widely used in Australian botanical and timber references.[1][2][6]
Where Does Australian Rosewood Grow?
PlantNET records Australian Rosewood in subtropical and dry rainforest, often on coastal ranges, from the Wyong district northwards in New South Wales and into Queensland.[1] Business Queensland describes its commercial timber range as extending along the east coast from Wyong to southern Queensland, including the ranges around Killarney, Tamborine Mountain and the Mistake Ranges.[2]
What Does Australian Rosewood Timber Look Like?
Australian Rosewood heartwood ranges from red-brown to dark red, while the sapwood ranges from light brown to cream. Business Queensland describes the grain as moderately close and often interlocked, with a generally uniform texture. Bands of lighter parenchyma can produce figure on tangential surfaces.[2]
Freshly cut timber also has a distinctive aromatic odour.[2]
Australian Rosewood Timber Properties
| Density | Approx. 705 kg/m³ at 12% moisture content |
|---|---|
| Hardness | Moderately hard, rated 3 on a 6-class scale |
| Shrinkage to 12% moisture content | 4.3% tangential; 2.5% radial |
| Above-ground durability | Class 3, estimated 7–15 years |
| In-ground durability | Class 3, estimated 5–15 years |
| Machining | Machines and turns well |
| Fixing | Standard fittings and fastenings can be used |
| Gluing | Bonds satisfactorily using standard procedures |
| Finishing | Readily accepts paint, stain and polish |
Business Queensland attributes the timber's good machining and turning properties partly to its natural oiliness. Occasional pieces can release aromatic oil that affects a polished surface, so freshly dressed timber may require additional care when finishing.[2]
What Is Australian Rosewood Used For?
Business Queensland records decorative uses including furniture, panelling, joinery, turnery, carving and inlay work. Historically, the timber was also used for house framing, flooring and mouldings, although it is now rarely used for those construction purposes.[2]
Australian Rosewood also appears in significant examples of early Australian cabinetmaking. The State Library of New South Wales identifies Australian Rosewood and Red Cedar among the principal timbers used in the Macquarie Collector's Chest, made in New South Wales around 1818.[3]
Is Australian Rosewood the Same as Other Rosewoods?
Many internationally recognised rosewoods belong to the genus Dalbergia in the Fabaceae family, whereas Australian Rosewood belongs to Meliaceae, the mahogany family.[1][4] The shared common name does not indicate a close botanical relationship between them.
Why Are There Two Scientific Names for Australian Rosewood?
Australian sources commonly use Dysoxylum fraserianum, while a taxonomic revision published in 2021 transferred the species to Didymocheton fraserianus, the name now accepted by Kew's Plants of the World Online.[4][5]
The revision found that Dysoxylum, as then circumscribed, contained several distinct evolutionary groups and reinstated a number of genera, including Didymocheton. Kew now treats Dysoxylum fraserianum as a homotypic synonym of Didymocheton fraserianus.[4][5]
Australian botanical references such as PlantNET continue to list the species as Dysoxylum fraserianum, so both scientific names can be encountered in current timber and botanical material.[1]
Australian Rosewood at Australian Woodwork
Australian Woodwork's Rosewood collection includes handcrafted pieces made from or incorporating Rosewood, often alongside other Australian native timbers.[6]
Gum Leaf Cut-Out Pot Stand
The Gum Leaf Cut-Out Pot Stand may be made from native timbers including Rosewood, Jarrah, Blackwood, Myrtle and Tasmanian Oak, depending on availability. It features a cut-out gum leaf and gum nut design and is available in two sizes.[7]
Australian Wildflower Coasters
The Australian Wildflower Coasters are laser-cut from contrasting Australian native timbers. Rosewood is one of the darker timbers used across the range, alongside Jarrah, Blackwood and Myrtle.[8]
Mini Australian Outback Landscape
The Mini Australian Outback Landscape uses movable laser-cut pieces that may combine Blackwood, Myrtle, Silky Oak, Tasmanian Oak, Jarrah and Rosewood.[9]
Explore the full Rosewood collection
References
- PlantNET, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney. Dysoxylum fraserianum (Rosewood, Rose Mahogany).
- Business Queensland. Rose mahogany: wood properties and uses of Australian timbers.
- State Library of New South Wales. Macquarie Collector's Chest, ca. 1818.
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Plants of the World Online. Didymocheton fraserianus (A.Juss.) Mabb. & Hauenschild.
- Holzmeyer, L., Hauenschild, F., Mabberley, D. J., & Muellner-Riehl, A. N. (2021). Confirmed polyphyly, generic recircumscription and typification of Dysoxylum (Meliaceae), with revised disposition of currently accepted species. Taxon.
- Australian Woodwork. Rosewood Collection.
- Australian Woodwork. Gum Leaf Cut-Out Pot Stand.
- Australian Woodwork. Australian Wildflower Coasters.
- Australian Woodwork. Mini Australian Outback Landscape.