pterocarpus indicus

Pterocarpus indicus is the botanical name for a tree that has inspired a wide variety of names and has been used in a wide variety of applications. In the United States, the tree is usually called Narra and sometimes further delineated as red Narra or yellow Narra or even orange Narra.

The Narra that grows in southern and southeastern Asia is called Solomons Pradauk or Papua New Guinea rosewood. Narra also grows extensively in the Philippines, Borneo, New Guinea, Cagayan, Mindoro, Palawan, Cotabato and the Malay Archipelago. Its Malayan name is angsana. Narra has also been called kiabooco, meaning "twisted wood."

  It is a beautiful wood in its own right that can yield a range of interesting figures. Experts believe the unique figure is formed from the existence of "terminal parenchyma" and irregularities in the woods. Parenchyma is the wood’s soft tissue that stores and distributes carbohydrates. Narra’s grain can be wavy, interlocked or crossed creating attractive figures such as mottle, fiddleback, ripple and curly.

When in the burl form, Narra’s wood is usually referred to as Amboyna burl — that name coming from Amboyna Island, another place the trees can be found.