Mahogany ( Swietenia mahagoni ). A hard, red or yellow-brown wood that takes on a high luster; used in furniture and cabinet making . The West Indian mahogany tree, native to tropical North and South America , is a large evergreen tree with soft, pinnate leaves. Together with other species it produces the world’s finest wood for cabinet making.
Features
Cuban mahogany, also known as Caobo or Cajoba, and whose scientific name is Swietenia mahagoni , belonging to the Meliaceae Family , is one of the most valuable wood species in the world, which is why it was virtually plundered throughout Cuban territory.
It is a majestic tree , with an erect and corpulent trunk capable of supporting thick branches. In the past, when it was abundant, it could be found in any terrain.
It can reach up to 25m in height and up to 2m in diameter, with the presence of buttresses at the base; the bark is initially smooth, greyish and with abundant lenticels , with age it becomes fissured and reddish brown.
The crown is broad and leafy, and the branches are thick. The leaves are compound and alternate, 10cm to 30cm long. The inflorescences form axillary panicles 5cm to 18cm long with small flowers.The tree grows very slowly. The fruits are light brown, woody capsules measuring 8-10 cm long and 4-6 cm in diameter, with septicidal dehiscence from the base; each fruit contains 45-60 seeds which, when ripe, are carried by the wind over long distances.
The seeds are provided with membranous wings and are light brown in colour; they measure between 5 cm and 7 cm long and approximately 1.3 cm wide, and are imbricated in the capsule in two series.
Cuban mahogany is found naturally throughout Cuba, the rest of the Antilles and Florida , and in semi-deciduous forests, preferably on deep, slightly acidic soils, although it can be found on almost all soils in Cuba except the lateritic and sandy extremes.
The species is overexploited in many of its natural ranges and has been listed in CITES Appendix II as a threatened species.Mahogany has been extensively planted mainly in Southeast Asia, Oceania and East Africa .
Description
Tree: large size, 30 to 60 meters high with a clean trunk up to 25 meters high, adult trees measure between 75 to 350 cm at chest height.
Crown: with a diameter of 14 m (González, 1991). It has thick chestnut-coloured twigs with many raised points or lenticels.
Trunk: straight, free of branches in good proportion, quite cylindrical (Herrera, 1996), the buttresses can be more than 4 meters high.
Bark: Dark reddish brown on the outside with many deep fissures along the stem, the inner bark is reddish pink to brownish.
Taste: bitter.
Leaves: large, alternate, paripinnate, 20-40 cm long; petiolate, bearing 6-12 thin, obliquely lanceolate leaflets usually 8-15 cm long and 2.5-7 cm wide, acuminate at the apex, acute or very oblique at the base. Glossy dark green upper surface, pale green lower surface.
Flowers: placed on panicles 10 to 20 cm long or more, glabrous; calyx 2 to 2.5 mm long, lobes short, rounded; 5 ovate white petals, 5 to 6 mm long; 10 stamens forming a cylindrical tube with acute or acuminate teeth.
Fruit: It is an ovoid dehiscent capsule, commonly 6 to 25 cm long and 2 to 12 cm in diameter, reduced towards the apex to a point, greyish brown, smooth or minutely warty, with 4 to 5 woody valves 6 to 8 mm thick; each capsule contains between 45 to 70 spongy and fragile seeds.
Seeds: samaras, winged, light, 7.5 to 10.0 cm long by 2.0 to 3.0 cm wide, reddish brown in color, very bitter taste.
Spread
Natural reproduction of Cuban mahogany is scarce in natural forest conditions.
It is difficult to find stands or small populations of this species in a forest with little human influence ; however, in secondary forests and pastures it can be found forming stands or groves where it is the dominant species.
The germination capacity of newly collected seeds is generally high, but if they are kept outdoors and at room temperature, they quickly lose viability and after six months it is almost zero.
Asexual propagation using conventional techniques (grafting, cuttings and scions) is possible, but the resulting plants quickly lose their commercial value.
Uses of Wood
Mahogany wood, due to its beauty, high natural durability, easy workability and high dimensional stability, belongs to the group of woods called general utility and can be used in: Light constructions and moldings, boats (covering, floors); domestic parquet, interior finishes and divisions, luxury furniture, first class cabinets, decorative flat veneer, plywood, turned articles, jewelry boxes, musical instruments (or parts thereof), scientific instruments, matches, toothpicks, pencils.
General furniture, cabinetmaking, sculptures, fine crafts, carved doors, panels, armory, educational toys, floors, household utensils.
Other uses
Reforestation: It is a species suitable for reforestation. Honey: Excellent honey. Medicinal: The bark has astringent, tonic and febrifuge properties. The tea from its seeds is recommended for chest pain.
Most famous mahogany in Cuba
In the Órganos mountain range, in the province of Pinar del Río , stands the famous Pico Chico Mahogany, which is more than 20 m high, 6.6 m in circumference and is credited with hundreds of years of existence.
Cuban strategy
Before 1959 , due to its slow growth, it was relegated to the small reforestation plans that existed at that time. Later, this species was worked on through hybridization, joining it with foreign species such as the Honduran Mahogany and the species of the Khaya genus or African Mahogany. To date, the results are very promising, achieving specimens with very good wood and relatively fast growth.
