{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae}} {{Redirect|Purpleheart||Purple Heart (disambiguation)}} {{Automatic taxobox |image = Peltogyne paniculata Taub78b.png |image_caption = Illustration of ''Peltogyne paniculata'' flowers |display_parents = 2 |taxon = Peltogyne |authority = Vogel |subdivision_ranks = Species |subdivision = See text |synonyms = * ''Orectospermum'' <small>Schott</small> |synonyms_ref = <ref name="Barneby">{{cite journal |author=R. C. Barneby |year=1983 |title=(711)-(712) Proposals to conserve ''Plathymenia'' against ''Echyrospermum'' and ''Peltogyne'' against ''Orectospermum'' (Leguminosae) |journal=Taxon |volume=32 |issue=3 |pages=488–490 |jstor=1221525 |doi=10.2307/1221525 }}</ref> }}
'''''Peltogyne''''', commonly known as '''purpleheart''', '''violet wood''', '''amaranth''' and other local names (often referencing the colour of the wood) is a genus of 23 species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae; native to tropical rainforests of Central and South America; from Guerrero, Mexico, through Central America, and as far as south-eastern Brazil.<ref name=Sotuyo14>{{cite journal |first=Jeny Solange |last=Sotuyo Vázquez |title=El palo morado (''Peltogyne mexicana''), una leguminosa maderable con futuro incierto y parientes lejanos |journal=Revista Digital Universitaria |volume=15 |issue=4 |date=2014 |issn=1607-6079 |url=http://www.revista.unam.mx/vol.15/num4/art28/index.html |publisher=Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico |language=es}}</ref>
They are medium-sized to large trees growing to {{convert|30|-|50|m|ft|-1|abbr=on}} tall, with trunk diameters of up to {{convert|1.5|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. The leaves are alternate, divided into a symmetrical pair of large leaflets {{convert|5|-|10|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|2|-|4|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} broad. The flowers are small, with five white petals, produced in panicles. The fruit is a pod containing a single seed. The timber is desirable, but difficult to work.
==Distribution== The species of the genus range from southeastern Brazil through northern South America, Panama, Costa Rica, and Trinidad, with the majority of species in the Amazon Basin. ''P. mexicana'' is a geographic outlier, native to the Mexican state of Guerrero.<ref name=Sotuyo14/> Overharvesting has caused several species to become endangered in areas where they were once abundant.<ref>{{cite web|title=Purpleheart - Peltogyne - Madera Sudamerica -Consorcio forestal|url=http://www.maderasdesudamerica.com/purpleheart-peltogyne/ |publisher=Maderasdesudamerica.com}}</ref>
==Wood== The trees are prized for their beautiful heartwood which, when cut, quickly turns from a light brown to a rich purple color. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light darkens the wood to a brown color with a slight hue of the original purple.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maderasdesudamerica.com/purpleheart-peltogyne/|title=PURPLEHEART-PELTOGYNE}}</ref> This effect can be minimized with a finish containing a UV inhibitor.
The dry timber is very hard, stiff, and dense with a specific gravity of 0.86 ({{convert|860|kg/m3|lb/ft3|abbr=on|disp=or}}). Purpleheart is correspondingly difficult to work with.<ref name="Hall2006">{{cite book|author=Garnet Hall|title=The Art of Intarsia: Projects & Patterns|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rs-L08BMVHMC&pg=PT16|date=February 2006|publisher=Tamos Books, Incorporated|isbn=978-1-895569-75-9|pages=16–}}</ref> It is very durable and water-resistant.
Due to its stiffness, the wood is used as a Tonewood in instruments, especially guitar fretboards and reinforcing strips in the neck of guitars and basses. Some Neck-Through-Body guitars are reinforced with Purpleheart to aid structural and tuning stability as well as for its resonant tonal properties.
==Uses and hazards== Purpleheart is prized for use in fine inlay work especially on musical instruments, guitar fret boards (although rarely), woodturning, cabinetry, flooring, and furniture.
Purpleheart presents a number of challenges in the woodshop. Its hard-to-detect interlocking grain makes hand-planing, chiseling and working with carving tools a challenge. However, woodturners can note that with sharp tools, it turns clean, and sands well.
Exposure to the dust generated by cutting and sanding purpleheart can cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation and nausea, possibly because of the presence of dalbergione (neoflavonoid) compounds in the wood. This also makes purpleheart wood unsuitable to most people for use in jewelry.<ref>[http://www.botanical-dermatology-database.info/BotDermFolder/LEGU-10.html#Peltogyne ''Peltogyne''] in BoDD – Botanical Dermatology Database</ref> Purpleheart is also a fairly expensive wood, which is why it is usually used in smaller-scale projects.<ref name="Atrops1970">{{cite book |first=J.L. |last=Atrops |title=Strength Properties of Trinidadian Timbers |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=98soAQAAMAAJ |year=1970 |publisher=University of the West Indies |oclc=763016897}}</ref>
==Species== The following list of species is according to Plants of the World Online.<ref>[https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:331837-2 ''Peltogyne'' in POWO]; last accessed 10 April 2021</ref> *''Peltogyne altissima'' Ducke *''Peltogyne angustiflora'' Ducke *''Peltogyne campestris'' Ducke *''Peltogyne catingae'' Ducke *''Peltogyne chrysopis'' Barneby *''Peltogyne crenulata'' Afr.Fern. *''Peltogyne discolor'' Vogel *''Peltogyne excelsa'' Ducke *''Peltogyne floribunda'' (Kunth) Pittier *''Peltogyne gracilipes'' Ducke *''Peltogyne heterophylla'' M.F.Silva *''Peltogyne lecointei'' Ducke *''Peltogyne maranhensis'' Ducke *''Peltogyne mattosiana'' Rizzini *''Peltogyne mexicana'' Martinez *''Peltogyne paniculata'' Benth. *''Peltogyne paradoxa'' Ducke *''Peltogyne parvifolia'' Benth. *''Peltogyne pauciflora'' Benth. *''Peltogyne prancei'' M.F.Silva *''Peltogyne purpurea'' Pittier *''Peltogyne recifensis'' Ducke *''Peltogyne subsessilis'' W.A.Rodrigues *''Peltogyne venosa'' (M.Vahl) Benth.
==Gallery== <gallery> File:Purpleheart wood.jpg| Image:Purpleheart-Lyptus-Cherrywoods.jpg|A board laminated with Purpleheart (the darkest of the three), as well as the lighter colored cherry and the salmon colored Lyptus. File:Peltogyne sp. MHNT.BOT.2010.6.48.jpg|Peltogyne sp. - MHNT </gallery>
==References== {{Reflist}} {{Refbegin}} *{{cite web |url=https://ildis.org/cgi-bin/Araneus.pl?version~10.01&LegumeWeb&genus~Peltogyne&species~% |work=LegumeWeb |publisher=International Legume Database |title=''Peltogyne''}} * [https://archive.today/20121220065806/http://www.bio.uu.nl/~herba/Guyana/VTGG/Fabaceae/Peltogyne/ Virtual Flora of Guyana: ''Peltogyne'' herbarium photos] *{{cite web |url=http://darnis.inbio.ac.cr/FMPro?-DB=UBIpub.fp3&-lay=WebAll&-Format=%2Fubi%2Fdetail.html&-Op=bw&id=2144&-Find |work=Especies de Costa Rica |title=''Peltogyne purpurea'' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926235524/http://darnis.inbio.ac.cr/FMPro?-DB=UBIpub.fp3&-lay=WebAll&-Format=%2Fubi%2Fdetail.html&-Op=bw&id=2144&-Find |archive-date=2007-09-26 |language=es}} * {{cite book | last = Baker | first = Mark | year = 2004 | title = Wood for Woodturners | publisher = Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications | location = Sussex | isbn = 1-86108-324-6 }} {{Refend}}
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{{Taxonbar|from=Q687351}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Detarioideae Category:Fabaceae genera Category:Flora of the Neotropical realm