grenadilla

English

Small specimen of Dalbergia melanoxylon

Noun

grenadilla (countable and uncountable, plural grenadillas)

1. African blackwood, a tree of species Dalbergia melanoxylon, found in Africa, valued for its timber.
   • 1852, Mrs. David Osborne, The World of Waters‎^[1]:

     On these plains, too, you will find the bushy oleander, many varieties of Jerusalem thorn and African rose, the bright scarlet of the cordium, bowers of jessamine, vines of grenadilla, and the silver and silky leaves of the portlandia.

2. The wood obtained from this plant, blackwood, which is particularly used for making musical instruments.
3. Alternative form of granadilla
   • 1899, James Bryce, Impressions of South Africa‎^[2]:

     Here and there we found a European farm, marked in the distance by the waving tops of the gum-trees, with the low wooden house festooned by the brilliant mauve blossoms of the climbing bougainvillea, and the garden enclosed by hedges of grenadilla, whose fruit is much eaten in South Africa.

Synonyms

• mpingo

References

• grenadilla on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Dalbergia melanoxylon on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Dalbergia melanoxylon on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons