Common Name |
Mahogany |
Description |
Swietenia macrophylla is a very large tree, reaching a height of 30-40 m and a girth of 3-4 m; in favourable conditions it can reach 60 m high and 9 m girth. Trunk straight, cylindrical, with a buttressed base; bark rough, flaking off in small patches.
It is one of three species that yields genuine mahogany timber, It is native to South America and Mexico, but naturalized in the Philippines, Singapore and Hawaii and cultivated in plantations and wind-breaks elsewhere. Mahogany is a kind of wood—the straight-grained, reddish-brown timber. Mahogany is a commercially important lumber prized for its beauty, durability, and color, and used for paneling and to make furniture, boats, musical instruments and other items. Unlike mahogany sourced from its native locations, plantation mahogany grown in Asia is not restricted in trade. The mahogany timber grown in these Asian plantations is the major source of international trade in genuine mahogany today. |
Products |
Timber: The high value attached to S. macrophylla wood in the international markets is well known. The heartwood is red- brown in appearance. The density of the wood of plantation-grown trees is often somewhat less than that of trees from the forest in the natural area of distribution and weighs 485-840 kg/m³ at 12% mc. The wood has been used in interior panelling, joinery work, turnery, furniture, plywood and heavy construction work. Veneer quality is limited by colour variation, wavy grain, pin knots and pinhole borer damage |
