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Swietenia macrophylla King In Hook.

Large-leaved mahogany (en), Mahogani grands feuilles (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Sapindales > Meliaceae > Swietenia

Characteristics

A tall tree. It grows 40-60 m high. Large trees have big buttresses. The bark is grey with cracks along it. The crown is large and round. The leaves are compound with an even number of leaflets along the stalk. The leaves are bunched towards the ends of the branches. The leaflets are unequal on each side. The flowers are small and white or green. They are in clusters above the leaves. The fruit are brown capsules. They are held erect above the leaves. The seeds are large and winged.
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Tree to 30 m. Leaves to 30 cm. long, largely paripinnate; leaflets 3-5 pairs, opposite, 6-14 cm. long, 3-6 cm. wide, inequilateral, ovate to elliptical, the base obtuse to acute, the apex acuminate, acute. Inflorescences axillary, 10-20 cm. long or longer, glabrous. Flowers usually 5-merous; calyx 2-2.5 mm. in diam., the lobes rounded; petals obovate, white; staminal tube cylindric-urceolate, the teeth acute or acuminate. Capsule ovoid, 12-15 cm. long, to 7 cm. in diam.
Tall tree.. Leaflets 6–12, up to 15 × 5 cm., asymmetrically lanceolate, apex shortly acuminate.. Flowers in axillary panicles.. Capsule 12–15(–22) cm. long.. Planted in Uganda for forestry purposes (without conspicuous success) and ornament. Entebbe, Eggeling 3818!
Deciduous tree to 40(–60) m. Leaves usually paripinnate, (2) 3–6(–8)-jugate. leaflets c. 15 cm long. Flowers pinkish or white in thyrses to 18(–20) cm long. Staminal tube 10-lobed; anthers 10. Capsule to 15 cm long. Seeds to 10 cm long, winged at one end.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality -
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 35.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 1.5
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Found in all forest types, from the edge of the pine savannah to the climax rainforest, but mostly in mixed hardwood forest belts, along riverbanks, on deep alluvial soils of considerable fertility.
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It is a tropical plant. They grown in open forest areas. It suits drier areas. Brisbane Botanical Garden.
Light 7-8
Soil humidity 2-4
Soil texture 1-4
Soil acidity 1-6
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-12

Usage

Uses animal food coffee substitute dye environmental use food gum invertebrate food material medicinal oil ornamental tea timber wood
Edible fruits
Therapeutic use Insecticides (seed), Malaria (seed), Alopecia (unspecified), Astringent (unspecified), Chest (unspecified), Febrifuge (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Neurosis (unspecified), Soap (unspecified), Styptic (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Wound (unspecified), Anodyne (unspecified), Malaria (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings. Seeds needs soaking.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) 20 - 30
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Flower

Swietenia macrophylla flower picture by Nelson Zamora Villalobos (cc-by-nc)

Distribution

Swietenia macrophylla world distribution map, present in Bangladesh, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Fiji, Micronesia (Federated States of), Guadeloupe, Guatemala, French Guiana, Guam, Honduras, India, Iceland, Jamaica, Cambodia, Saint Lucia, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Myanmar, Montserrat, Martinique, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Niue, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Palau, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan, Province of China, United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, and South Africa

Conservation status

Swietenia macrophylla threat status: Vulnerable

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:246905-2
WFO ID wfo-0000505131
COL ID 53K5Y
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 447328
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Swietenia macrophylla Swietenia belizensis Swietenia candollei Swietenia tessmannii Swietenia macrophylla var. marabaensis
WorldFloraDB 2024