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''Caesalpinia echinata'' is a species of Brazilian timber tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. Common names include Brazilwood, Pernambuco tree (Portuguese: ''Pau-Brasil'', ''Pau de Pernambuco''; Tupi ''Ibirapitanga''). This plant has a dense, orange-red heartwood that takes a high shine, and it is the premier wood used for making bows for stringed instruments. The wood also yields a red dye called brazilin, which oxidizes to brazilein. The name ''pau-brasil'' (Middle Latin ''lignum brasilium'') was applied to other species of ''Caesalpinia'' in the medieval period, and transferred to ''Caesalpinia echinata'' in the 16th century. The name of Brazil is shortened from ''Terra do Brasil'' "land of brazilwood". == Name == When Portuguese explorers found these trees on the coast of South America, they recognised it as a relative of those Asian species of ''Caesalpinia'' that were already used in Europe for dye, known as ''lignum brasilium'', or Portuguese ''pau-brasil'', or as Sappanwood. The Middle Latin adjective ''brasilium'' is thought to be derived from an early Romance or Middle Latin ''brasa'', loaned from a West Germanic (Old Frankish) word meaning "ember, burning charcoal". The South American trees soon became the better source of red dye. Brazilwood trees were such a large part of the exports and economy of the land that the country which sprang up in that part of the world took its name from them and is now called Brazil. Botanically, several tree species are involved, all in the family ''Fabaceae'' (the pulse family). The term "brazilwood" is most often used to refer to the species ''Caesalpinia echinata'', but it is also applied to other species, such as ''Caesalpinia sappan'' and ''Haematoxylum brasiletto''. The tree is also known by other names, as ''ibirapitanga'', Tupi for "red wood"; or ''pau de pernambuco'', named after the Brazilian state of Pernambuco. In the bow-making business it is usual to refer to some species other than ''Caesalpinia echinata'' as "Brazilwood"; examples include Pink Ipê (''Handroanthus impetiginosus''), Massaranduba (''Manilkara bidentata'') and Palo Brasil (''Haematoxylum brasiletto''). The highly prized Caesalpinia echinata is usually called "Pernambuco wood" in this particular context. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Caesalpinia echinata」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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