Geographic Distribution:
The wood commonly known as Nicaragua Rosewood is known to botanists and other scientists as Dalbergia tucurensis. D. tucurensis is native to the tropical Americas, ranging from southern Mexico through South America.
For the sake of simplicity and common understanding, I will refer to D. tucurensis as Nicaragua Rosewood from here forward.
Please note that Nicaragua Rosewood is also commonly called Yucatan Rosewood or Panama Rosewood. Also note that as a member of the Dalbergia genus, Nicaragua Rosewood is a TRUE rosewood.
Also, some vendors refer to Nicaragua Rosewood, and its synonyms, as D. yucatanensis. There is zero scientific literature to support the existence of this species and woods sold as such are usually D. tucarensis. Note that I said usually….
General Characteristics:
While typically a cinnamon brown, heartwood color of Nicaragua Rosewood can be highly variable, ranging from a light brown to a deep russet brown.
The grain of Nicaragua Rosewood tends to be somewhat bland, but darker streaks or swirled grain is occasionally present.
The sharply demarcated sapwood of Nicaragua Rosewood is pale yellow.
The overall appearance of Nicaragua Rosewood is very similar to Honduran Rosewood (Dalbergia stevensonii).
The grain of Nicaragua Rosewood is straight to interlocked. Nicaragua Rosewood features a medium to fine texture with large open pores, giving it a somewhat uneven feel.
Nicaragua Rosewood features a moderate natural luster.
Nicaragua Rosewood is durable against rot and features moderate resistance to insects and borers.
Working Characteristics:
Overall, Nicaragua Rosewood is easier to work than other rosewoods. This is most likely on account of its lower density.
Nicaragua Rosewood also seems to have a lower oil content than other oily Dalbergia rosewoods, so gluing and finishing properties are somewhat better.
Nicaragua Rosewood turns well and takes a nice polish.
Unlike other rosewoods, Nicaragua Rosewood has little to no scent while being worked.
Pricing and Availability:
Prices for Nicaragua Rosewood are in the low to mid range for an imported tropical species. Nicaragua Rosewood is certainly much cheaper than most other Dalbergia species such as Cocobolo or Kingwood. Nicaragua Rosewood is fairly new to the mainstream wood market, so it’s hard to tell if prices will remain stable, or increase due to over-harvesting—as is the unfortunate case with so many species within the genus.
Nicaragua Rosewood is usually sold in the form of turning wood or in thin or small stock sizes.
In this blog, I almost always recommend several vendors with whom I have done considerable business and in whom I have great confidence. These vendors are: West Penn Hardwoods, Bell Forest Products, NC Wood, WoodTurningz, Amazon Exotic Hardwoods, Griffin Exotic Wood, Exotic Woods USA, Got Wood?, and Wood Turning Blanks 4U.
Of my favored vendors, West Penn Hardwoods, Bell Forest Products, and Exotic Woods USA are currently offering Nicaragua Rosewood at this time, although Bell Forest Products only has one small spindle size available. Small bowls blanks remain available from the other two vendors with the largest being a 6″ x 6″ x 2″ for $19.50 from Exotic Woods USA. With the recent CITES listing of all Dalbergia species, stocks are limited to what is on hand and are highly unlikely to be replenished. If you want to work with a Dalbergia species, including Nicaragua Rosewood, NOW is the time to obtain it.
Note that vendors offer Nicaragua Rosewood as Panama and Yucatan Rosewood as well as Nicaragua Rosewood. Be certain to search for all three names.
Woodfinder is an excellent website that is dedicated to advertising wood dealers. In your search for Nicaragua Rosewood this can be an invaluable resource provided you use multiple search terms to capture all the possible listings. I can’t speak to the quality of any of the listed dealers, but Woodfinder does have the advantage of allowing searches to be performed based on location which might allow an interested buyer to visit a listed wood dealer in person to hand pick pieces at a comfortable price.