cocobolo vs Indian rosewood

Dalbergia granadillo compared with Dalbergia sissoo

Key Differences

• cocobolo is Critically Endangered while Indian rosewood is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	cocobolo	Indian rosewood
Kingdom same	Plantae (พืช)	Plantae (พืช)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (พืชใบเลี้ยงคู่)	Magnoliopsida (พืชใบเลี้ยงคู่)
Order same	Fabales (อันดับถั่ว)	Fabales (อันดับถั่ว)
Family same	Fabaceae	Fabaceae
Genus same	Dalbergia	Dalbergia
Species	Dalbergia granadillo	Dalbergia sissoo

Evolutionary Relationship

cocobolo and Indian rosewood share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Dalbergia.

Conservation Status

cocobolo

CR — Critically Endangered

Indian rosewood

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	cocobolo	Indian rosewood
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

cocobolo

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Indian rosewood

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (19 countries), Asia (7 countries), North America (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominican Republic, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Paraguay).

cocobolo

Cocobolo (Dalbergia granadillo) is a medium to large tropical hardwood tree in the family Fabaceae, native to the dry and moist forests of Pacific Mexico and Central America, from Jalisco and Colima south through Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas into Guatemala and Honduras. The species is one of the most prized commercial rosewoods in the world, producing exceptionally dense, fine-grained heartwood in rich tones of red, orange, and brown with contrasting darker grain lines; this wood is used in high-end guitar fingerboards, knife handles, turning, and decorative woodwork. Unfortunately, this commercial value has driven intense illegal logging across much of its range, leading the IUCN to classify Dalbergia granadillo as Critically Endangered — the highest threat category short of extinction in the wild. The species is listed in CITES Appendix II, requiring documentation of sustainable harvest for international trade. Remaining populations are heavily fragmented in degraded and secondary forest, with mature trees of commercial size increasingly scarce. The slow growth rate of the species means that recovery of logged populations takes decades. Conservation initiatives include reforestation programmes, strengthening of enforcement against illegal logging, community-based forestry schemes, and research into propagation for plantation production as an alternative to wild harvest. Without effective action, Dalbergia granadillo faces continued population decline and potential extirpation from parts of its natural range.