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	Peltogyne paniculata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Fabales
Family:	Fabaceae
Subfamily:	Caesalpinioideae
Tribe:	Detarieae
Genus:	Peltogyne; Vogel
Species
	See text

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Peltogyne, known as Purpleheart or Amaranth, is a genus of 23 species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to tropical regions of Central and South America, where they occur in tropical rainforests. They are medium-sized to large trees growing to 30–50m tall (or an average between 120 and 150 feet), with trunk diameters of up to 1.5 m. The leaves are alternate, divided into a symmetrical pair of large leaflets 5–10 cm long and 2–4 cm broad. The flowers are small, with five white petals, produced in panicles. The fruit is a pod containing a single seed.

Purple Heart is an extremely dense 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. The longer the wood is exposed to UV lights (sunlight), the colour of purple slowly changes from a light purple to a substantially chocolate-purple colour. This effect can be minimized with a finish containing a UV inhibitor. The dry wood is very hard and dense with a specific gravity of 0.86 (54 lb/ft^3 or 860 kg/m^3). Carbide blades are recommended when working with purpleheart wood. It is prized for fine inlay work, woodturning, cabinetry, flooring, and furniture. Exposure to the dust generated by cutting and sanding purpleheart can cause irritation and nausea, possibly due to the presence of dalbergione (neoflavonoid) compounds in the wood. This also makes purpleheart wood unsuitable to most people for use in jewelry.[1] The wood is also known as amaranth and violet wood. Overharvesting has caused several species to become endangered in areas where they were once abundant.

The Tree: Purpleheart is a very tall, handsome canopy tree, averaging 120 to 150 feet in height in the natural rainforest, with diameters of 2 to 4 feet, and a clear, straight, cylindrical bole of 60 to 90 feet, above a moderately buttressed base. Nazareno is leguminous or nitrogen-fixing.

Status: Purpleheart has been exploited extensively for years because of its high strength and durability as well as its unusual color and beauty. It is increasingly rare, and is nearing extinction in parts of its original range. Purpleheart is listed as threatened in "Arboles Maderables en Peligro de Extinción en Costa Rica."

The Wood: One of the most distinctive woods in the world, purpleheart is prized for its very unusual deep purple color. When freshly cut, this dense hardwood is light brown. Within minutes the surface turns an astonishing bright purple. Upon prolonged exposure to sunlight, the color gradually changes to a chocolate-purple color. This beautiful wood is straight to wavy grained, fine and uniform textured and fairly smooth with a medium to high luster. Purpleheart turns smoothly, is easy to glue, takes finishes well and is highly durable.

Uses: Purpleheart reaches the world market only in small quantities. It is prized for fine inlay work, turnery, fine furniture and cabinetry, parquet flooring, decorative and figured veneer, and many specialty items such as handles, billiard cue butts and carving.

Leer más: http://www.maderasdesudamerica.com/purpleheart-peltogyne/

For other meanings see Purple Heart (disambiguation)

Peltogyne, known as Purpleheart or Amaranth, is a genus of 23 species of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to tropical regions of Central and South America, where they occur in tropical rainforests. Purpleheart comes from the rain forests of Brazil, Guyana, and Suriname^[1]

They are medium-sized to large trees growing to 30–50m (120-150 ft) tall, with trunk diameters of up to 1.5 m. The leaves are alternate, divided into a symmetrical pair of large leaflets 5–10 cm long and 2–4 cm broad. The flowers are small, with five white petals, produced in panicles. The fruit is a pod containing a single seed.

Wood[edit]

Purpleheart stands on its own in the wood species. Purpleheart is an extremely dense and water resistant wood. It is ranked one of the hardest and most stiff of the woods in the world. Some people claim it is so durable that people use it as truck decking. ^[2]. 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. The longer the wood is exposed to UV lights (sunlight), the colour of purple slowly changes from a light purple to a substantially chocolate-purple colour.^[3] This effect can be minimized with a finish containing a UV inhibitor. The dry wood is very hard and dense with a specific gravity of 0.86 (54 lb/ft^3 or 860 kg/m^3). Carbide blades are recommended when working with purpleheart wood. The wood is also known as amaranth and violet wood. Overharvesting has caused several species to become endangered in areas where they were once abundant.^[4]^{[citation needed]}.

Gallery[edit]

A board laminated with Purpleheart (the darkest of the three), as well as the salmon colored Lyptus and the lighter hardrock (eastern) maple (sugar maple).

Uses[edit]

Purple Heart mainly used for woodworking. It is prized for fine inlay work, woodturning, cabinetry, flooring, and furniture. Purple Heart is also notably used for guitar or musical instrument inlays and design. Exposure to the dust generated by cutting and sanding purpleheart can cause irritation and nausea, possibly due to the presence of dalbergione (neoflavonoid) compounds in the wood. This also makes purple heart wood unsuitable to most people for use in jewelry.^[5]. Purpleheart is also a fairly expensive wood, which is why it is used for small uses. In compared to Maple, a slab of 4' x 8' would cost around $64. The same slab of purpleheart would run around $115. ^[6]. Purpleheart is difficult to work with. If cut with dull machinery, a resin is omitted off of the wood that can cause damage to the machinery. Power tools if used improperly can cause burn marks on wood. In the case of purpleheart being burned, is is quite hard to remove due to the density and hardness of the wood.