Calamander

Calamander is a dense, close-grained tropical hardwood traditionally associated with Sri Lanka and southern India. Its appearance is characterised by strong dark striping against a lighter brown ground, often producing a dramatic linear figure.

Calamander can closely resemble Coromandel, and the two woods are often confused or even used interchangeably in descriptions of nineteenth-century furniture and boxes. Both can display strong dark striping against a lighter brown ground, although the historical trade names themselves were not always applied with botanical precision. Calamander can also resemble other ebony-family timbers, particularly Macassar ebony.

Calamander was particularly valued during the nineteenth century for fine furniture, dressing cases and jewellery boxes, where its bold striped figure could be used to striking effect in veneer form.