Pernambuco
About Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family in Brazil. There is not much differences in the biological aspects with the tree known as Pau Brazil, “the tree of Brazil”. The term Pernambuco has been used to classify the best quality woods taken in the state of Pernambuco which is located near equator and in the eastern Brazil.
Pernambuco remains as important to the world of string instrument music today as it was first identified the best bow making wood. Its combination of sonic qualities, density, strength, suppleness, as well as its ability to bend with dry heat and sustain shape when cooled (known as “memory”) make it uniquely suitable for making bows.
Today, pernambuco is listed among endangered species in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (http://www.cites.org), an international treaty signed by 173 countries.