Dalbergia melanoxylon is a tree in the papilionaceous subfamily (Faboideae) of the Dalbergia genus. This extremely heavy wood is sold under the names grenadilla, African grenadilla, zebrawood, African blackwood or its Portuguese name ‚pau-preto‘ and known as an ‘iron wood’. Grenadilla is a very dark brown to almost black hard wood from the palisander family with a fine black-violet hue. Its high density makes it impermeable to air, while its hardness makes it an excellent turning wood for the production of precise, sharp corners. Grenadilla is mainly used to make woodwind instruments such as clarinets, oboes and flutes although it is also used to make recorders and sometimes bagpipes.