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
Historic range of big-leaf mahogany in South America
Current range of big-leaf mahogany
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] or big-leaf mahogany,[4] 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 elsewhere.[5]

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

Overview

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

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References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, December 05, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.