Wood Sources
![Wood Sources]()
CROCODILE OR SATIN WOOD Zanthoxylum Rhetsa
The Indonesian name, panggal buaya, literally translates to crocodile teeth, referring to the knobby, tooth- shaped protrusions which cover the trunk. Native to lowlands from India to the Philippines, crocodile wood is usually white in color, some pieces have narrow, dark stripes. The heart is sometimes purple. The grain is straight and easy to carve and the wood is of medium hardness. Older trees produce darker wood than younger ones and the higher up in the tree, the lighter the color. A narrow-trunked tree, the wood is well suited to the elongated impressionist style of carving, popular in Bali since the 1930's. Crocodile wood is often called the Ivory of Woods because of its similar color and smooth finish.
RAIN TREE Samanea Saman
This average hardwood has a straight grain and rather coarse texture and easy to carve. Known as suwar or suar in Indonesia, rain tree is a native of South America, but has been dispersed throughout the tropics for at least 100 years. Because the trunk is huge in mature trees, rain tree is suitable for creating very large statues. A fast-growing and easily replaceable wood, it is the favored wood of importers outside of the tropics because the crisscrossed, interlocking grain keeps the wood from cracking when moved to drier climates. It can be finished to a fairly high gloss.
SONOKELING Dalbergia Latifolia
Similar to ebony in hardness, sonokeling has an excellent grain for carving. It is chocolate in color, sometimes with lighter colored stripes. It is an expensive wood, because the tree needs to be about 200 years old to produce a good large log. This is one of the reasons why carvings in this wood are rather rare. Native to India, sonokeling is called black rosewood in English. The Indonesian Department of Forestry has encouraged the planting of sonokeling trees in Java and in Bali.
TEAK Tectona Grandis
Well known as a wood very suitable for furniture and boat building, teak wood is very durable and resistant to decay and insects. It is of medium density, but its hardness varies and is easy to carve. Teak is native to India, Burma and Thailand and grows well in Java, Lombok, Sumbawa and Kalimantan (Borneo). Statues and masks made of teak can be found in Java, but it is primarily used for carved panels in Bali.
BAMBOO Bambusa Maculata
Cultivated in Bali & Java where it is known as PRING TUTUL, Tutul meaning spots. Also grows wild in the Moluccas & the Lesser Sunda Islands. The culms have highly contrasting dark blotches when dry. It has been assumed to be a variety of B. vulgaris for many years. Used primarily for the furniture but also musical instruments, wall panels, flooring and handicrafts.
COCONUT PALM Cocos Nucifera
Native to tropical eastern regions, today it is grown both over the Asian continent (India, Ceylon, Indonesia) and in Central and South America (Mexico, Brazil); The name Cocos probably derives from a Portuguese word meaning monkey, perhaps because its nut, bearing three germinating pores, resembles a monkey face. Its specific name derives from Latin, meaning nut-bearing (from fero = I bear and nux-nucis = nut). The coconut palm leaves are used in building and for flooring. Coconut oil from the nut is used in industry and cosmetics as well as a essential food source. The shell of the coconut is also used to make a variety of handicrafts including musical instruments.
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