Calamander Wood

Calamander Wood, a cabinet-wood of the greatest value, resembling rosewood, but much surpassing it in beauty and durability. The tree which produces it is Diospyros hirsuta, a species of the same genus which produces ebony; it is a native of the south-east of India and of Ceylon. But this tree 'has been so prodigally felled, first by the Dutch, and afterwards by the English, without any precautions for planting or production, that it has at last become exceedingly rare.' It yields veneers of unusual beauty, 'dark wavings and blotches, almost black, being gracefully disposed over a delicate fawn-coloured ground.' Its density is very great, a cubic foot weighing nearly 60 lb., and it takes an exquisite polish. The name Calamander Wood is supposed to be a corruption of Coromandel Wood.