Mahogany
the national tree of the Dominican Republic
- Flower nameMahogany
- Scientific nameSwietenia mahagoni
- Alias
- Place of originthe Caribbean
- Place of floweringOverseas, Specific area
- Flowering seasonMay, June
What is Mahogany
Mahogany（scientific name: Swietenia mahagoni) is a semi-evergreen tree of the family Meliaceae, native to the Caribbean. It is the national tree of the Dominican Republic. The tree is 30 to 35 meters tall. It has even pinnate compound leaves that turn red, pink, light green, and dark green in early spring, and it produces numerous bright yellow flowers with a fragrance about 1 cm in diameter from May to June from a conical inflorescence. After the flowers, capsules 5 to 10 cm long are produced, which contain many winged seeds. The seeds bend when they dry. The heartwood is peach-colored and shiny. The wood is easy to process, has a good finish, and is consistent in size. It has been used for furniture, shipbuilding, musical instruments, and carvings for a long time as a highly-prized wood. It has been listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to over logging.
Common name: Mahogany (scientific name: Swietenia mahagoni, also known as Spanish Mahogany, American Mahogany, Cuban Mahogany, Small-leaf Mahogany, West Indian Mahogany, Numismatic Cedar, Mahogany Mexican Cuban, Acajou d'Amerique 'Ameriqu (France), height: 30m-35m, bark: smooth gray (young trees), dark gray with wrinkles (old trees), leaf color: red (spring) to pink to light green to dark green, leaf shape: even pinnate compound leaf, leaf length: 30cm, leaflets: 10cm, leaf width: 2 to 3cm, inflorescence: alternate, flowering season Flowering season: May to June, Flower diameter: 1 cm, Flower color: bright yellow, Inflorescence form: conical, Flower fragrance: fragrant, Fruit length: 5 to 10 cm, Fruit type: capsule, Seed: winged, Uses: roadside tree, furniture, shipbuilding material, musical instrument, sculpture, Remarks: listed as an endangered species by IUCN.
- OrderSapindales
- FamilyMeliaceae
- GenusSwietenia
- SpeciesS. mahagoni
- Type of flowerRadial symmetrical flower
- Array of flowerCompound scape inflorescence
- Petal shapeFive-petal
- Leaf typeOdd pinnate compound leaf
- Edge of the leafSerrated
- Life typesemi-evergreen tree
- Flower colorsYellow
- Colors of the leavesRed Pink Green
- Fruit color
- Height500.0 ~ 3000.0 cm
- Diameter of flower2.0 ~ 2.0 cm
