Otherwise known as Purpleheart, Peltogyne is an extremely dense and water-resistant wood. It is ranked one of the hardest and stiffest woods in the world. It's so durable that it's been used for such demanding applications like sailboat decking. 

The trees themselves are prized for their beautiful heartwood which, when cut, quickly turns from a light brown to a rich purple color.  Exposure to sunlight slowly darkens the wood to a brown color with a slight hue of the original purple. As the wood is exposed to UV light (e.g. sunlight) for long periods of time, the purple color slowly changes from a light purple to a subtle chocolate color.