Geographic Distribution
The wood most commonly sold as Dalmata is known to many botanists as Swartzia arborescens. However, some sources claim that this identification is incorrect and outdated and the correct botanical designation should be Cynometra spruceana. Not being a botanist I can’t speak to this controversy but I can say that the relatively limited information written for the general public, i.e. non-botanists, generally refers to the wood as S. arborescens. So, that’s the controversy, if interested, but I can’t imagine that most of my readers much care.
For what it is worth, Cynometra is a genus with well over 50 species included. Cynometra has a pantropical distribution, being found throughout the tropical regions of the world across multiple continents.
Swartzia, on the other hand, contains over 200 named species and is restricted, although obviously quite prolific, to the New World tropics, being especially prevalent in Amazonia, where 10-20 different Swartzia species, ranging from shrubs to canopy trees, may be present at a single site. Several different species of Swartzia are relatively common tropical woods encountered in the United States, including woods commonly sold as Wamara (Guyana Rosewood), Queenwood, Katalox, and Pau Rosa. With the possible exception of Wamara, I have samples of all of these Swartzia species woods in my workshop.
Dalmata Interior
Regardless of whether you call it Cynometra or Swartzia, the wood sold to me as Dalmata originated in South America. It grows in and is harvested from the following countries: Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. The best odds are that my sample of the wood was harvested in Peru, but it could also have been obtained from Guyana or Brazil. The other nations in the growth region either export limited amounts of timber, or only limited amounts to the United States although they may export significant quantities to other countries. For example most exports of timber from French Guiana go to France or elsewhere in the European Union with very little, if any, product reaching the United States despite geographic proximity.
From this point onward, for sake of simplicity and common understanding, I will refer to C. spruceana or S.arborescens simply as Dalmata.
General Characteristics
The information readily available about Dalmata is comparatively sparse.
The heartwood of Dalmata presents as a medium reddish brown but what makes it interesting and appealing are the dark brown to black streaks and veining that are almost always present.
I can find no reference to the color, appearance, thickness, or demarcation character of the sapwood of Dalmata.
The grain of Dalmata is general spiral or interlocked and we would expect this to impact the workability of the species. Dalmata presents a medium to fine texture.
Dalmata endgrain is diffuse and porous, with the pores being of medium to large size. As is not uncommon with tropical hardwoods of similar density and hardness to Dalmata, mineral deposits are commonly found and are readily visible in the endgrain sections.
Dalmata has not been formally rated for resistance to rot or to insects but woods of similar density and hardness tend to be very resistant to both although not always resistant to marine borers. However, for the applications of Dalmata most common outside of its native areas I can’t imagine that this would matter much.
Working Characteristics
The working character of Dalmata is completely informed by the hardness and density of the wood as well as the interlocked nature of the grain.
In a word, Dalmata is difficult to work with. Tools must be incredibly sharp, and fresh carbide bits will yield the best results. One should expect standard cutting tools, including saw blades, to be quickly dulled when cutting Dalmata.