African Rosewood is from the same genus as Bubinga, but are two different African hardwoods.
Respectfully, I'm not sure this is correct. It can certainly get confusing with exotic woods.
The reason I'm interested is that I've used a fair amount of bubinga (definitely genus
guibourtia) in my own work, and the color and grain on the knives is pretty different than what I've seen. Of course the knives are small samples--my work has been with stock suitable for furniture and cabinet work.
Here is some info from the
Wood Database, which in my experience is a pretty solid source.
Kosso (Pterocarpus erinaceus) This hardwood isn’t commonly seen in North America, but is a Pterocarpus species related to the more commonly seen
African Padauk. Appearance-wise, it bears a very close resemblance to the related hardwood
Muninga. It’s sometimes referred to as African rosewood, though it’s technically not what would be considered a true rosewood (which, strictly speaking, is comprised only of species in the Dalbergia genus).
Bubinga (Guibourtia demeusei, G. pellegriniana, and G. tessmannii) A much loved hardwood, perhaps among the most popular of African imports alongside species like
Zebrawood and
African Mahogany. Bubinga is also seen with a wide variety of figured grain patterns, and is sold in a wide variety of forms ranging from guitar backs to giant tabletop slabs.
This is a little knife I handled from a scrap of bubinga left over from a consignment to build a desk. The color is very close to true on my screen, and the dark mineral streak looking stuff is very characteristic. This picture was taken before any finish was applied.