Swietenia macrophylla

Swietenia macrophylla
Swietenia macrophylla
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Meliaceae
Genus: Swietenia
Species: S. macrophylla
Binomial name
Swietenia macrophylla
King
Historic range of big-leaf mahogany in South America
Historic range of big-leaf mahogany in South America
Current range of big-leaf mahogany in South America
Current range of big-leaf mahogany in South America
Synonyms[1]
  • Swietenia belizensis Lundell
  • Swietenia candollei Pittier
  • Swietenia krukovii Gleason
  • Swietenia macrophylla var. marabaensis Ledoux & Lobato
  • Swietenia tessmannii Harms

Swietenia macrophylla, commonly known as mahogany,[2] Honduran mahogany,[2] Honduras mahogany,[3] big-leaf mahogany,[4] or West Indian mahogany,[5] is a species of plant in the Meliaceae family. It is one of three species that yields genuine mahogany timber, the others being Swietenia mahagoni and Swietenia humilis. It is native to South America and Mexico, but naturalized in Singapore and Hawaii,[2] and cultivated in plantations and wind-breaks elsewhere.[5]

Timber

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. The Asian countries which grow the majority of Swietenia macrophylla are India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Fiji, Philippines, Singapore, and some others, with India and Fiji being the major world suppliers. The tree is also planted in Laos PDR.

Common Names

The species is also known under other common names, including bastard mahogany,[6] broad-leaved mahogany, Brazilian mahogany, large-leaved mahogany, genuine mahogany, tropical American mahogany, and sky fruit, among others.

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References

  1. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "USDA GRIN Taxonomy". Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  3. "Swietenia macrophylla". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  4. Free, Chris (2012). "Home". SwietKing.ofrg. SwietKing Research. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  5. 1 2 Elevitch, C.R.; Wilkinson, K.M. (2000), Agroforestry Guides for Pacific Islands, Permanent Agriculture Resources, p. 57, ISBN 9780970254405
  6. Flowers of India: Big-leaf mahogany
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