| Mahogany | |
| Swietenia mahogani | |
| a.k.a. West Indies Mahogany |
A large tropical tree with a symmetrical appearance, best-known for its valuable heartwood. The tree is also appreciated as a beautiful and useful street tree.
Description: A fast-growing, graceful, straight-trunked, semi-deciduous tree growing to 30-70ft. Most trees, particularly planted street trees grow to 30-40ft. It looses its leaves just as new leafs sprout, so while deciduous, the tree is not without leaves for long. Tiny flowers are followed by 4-5", woody fruits that burst open to expel the seeds.
Hardiness: Hardy to the low 30's. The trees don't really like prolonged temperatures below 40F.
Growing Environment: Grow in full sun or part shade. Water regularly. Not particular about soil type and seems to grow fine in saltly soils. Once established it is a fairly tough tree.
Propagation: By seeds.
Uses: Mahogany is a valuable hardwood and this tree was once extensively harvested for its wood. A related tree, S. macrophylla, now provides most commercial mahogany. The tree also makes an excellent street tree specimen in warmer climates as is popular for this purpose. Miami, Florida has numerous mahogany trees planted throughout the city for this purpose.
Native Range: Native to the West Indies, the Bahamas and South Florida---the latter mainly in hammocks found in the Everglades.