Other Names Also known as East Indian rosewood, Bombay rosewood, bombay blackwood, shisham, sitsal, malabar, sissoo, biti, ervadi, and kalaruk.
Sources Grows in southern India.
Appearance Commonly interlocked grain with a uniform, moderately coarse texture. Purple-brown heartwood with attractive dark streaks and yellowish white sapwood, often with a purple tinge. Physical Props Heavy, hard, and dense with high bending and crushing strengths, medium shock resistance, good stability and steam bending, and very durable heartwood. Working Props Difficult to work due to calcareous deposits - dulls cutting edges. Holds screws and nails well and glues satisfactorily.