What type of tree is mahogany

So the adaption of their native word would have likely been in use by the explorers, making this theory very difficult to dispute.

Yet we do not know the words that would have been used by other native peoples in the natural ecosystems of the Mahogany tree. This is even before most of the major work had been done by botanists to properly classify and understand the types of trees that had been labelled with this word and all the connotations that arise from it.

Just as the oak can be distinguished from the hickory tree in temperate zone forests, the Mahogany tree has characteristics which distinguish it from other tropical hardwood trees. The next thing you will see is its gray-brown bark, which is fairly smooth for the most part and grows in ridges or large individual scales. The leaf of the Mahogany tree is compound, resembling that of the American ash or hickory. The flower is very small, yellowish red, and tulip-shaped.

The seed grow inside of a large woody capsule that grows upright, not pendant, from the branch up to 5 or 6 inches in length. Within the capsule the flat, winged seeds are packed tightly in either 4 or 5 parallel double rows lengthwise of the container. Strangely enough, these seeds are the mellow golden brown colour of well-aged Mahogany!

Mahogany grows only in fairly specific climate zones, which includes the West Indies, particularly Cuba, Santo Domingo, and Jamaica, with small quantities of the same varieties occurring in the southern tip of Florida. Woods alleged to be Mahogany, but coming from other than these listed regions, are not genuine Mahogany.

The rarity of the Mahogany tree lead to a great undertaking to ensure that it was one of the species cultivated in lands beyond its home. Shortly after WWII mahogany seeds were planted on the island of Fiji — and this is now the largest mahogany plantation in the world to date. Although the Mahogany tree has been known to Europeans since shortly after the discovery of the American continent, it was not botanically classified until after when it was named Swietenia by Nicholas Joseph Jacquin of Leyden, who did this in honour of the Baron Geraard Von Swieten, botanist and physician from the same city.

In , the Mahogany trees of Central America were classified as a single species and designated Swietenia mahagoni by Carl Linnaeus, the founder of modern botany. Lamb G. Genus is a term used in biology to describe relationships between several organisms that share enough similarities to be part of the same family, but are still distinct species. The scientific name for a genus is often called the generic name for the species.

The Mahogany tree discovered in the Americas was given the genus Swietenia. Mahogany ranging from the Caribbean to the southern tip of the Floridian peninsula, scientifically known as Swietenia mahagoni, became known as West Indian, or Cuban, mahogany. This species was initially dominant in the trade of mahogany lumber. As harvesting intensified will European transportation routes passing through the Americas more frequently, Mahogany trees were constantly being sought out by botanists, commercial exporters, and industrialists.

Long after it had been discovered in America, a Mahogany variant was also found on the west coast of Africa. This African Mahogany was first classified as Swietenia senegalensis.

In , Jussieu Desrousseaux then differentiated geographically between the American and African species, proposing that the latter be classified as Khaya senegalensis. As time went on, several species of the genus Khaya were reorganized — the most plentiful being Khaya ivorensis. The distinctions between African and Central American Mahoganies only grew as examination of the living tree and wood it produces intensified. From the beginning, Mahogany study and harvesting has been a long and difficult battle with the trackless tropical wilderness.

Old-growth areas that contained mahogany had often been as-yet unmolested by human industry. Since in their natural environment the trees grow scattered, an average of only 2 per acre being considered a good stand, the challenge commences with a complete survey of the area to determine whether it contains enough Mahogany in valuable quantities and in conditions that permit getting it out.

Today, however, genuine mahogany plantation exist where no destructive paths need to be cut into the landscape because the trees were planted with the foreknowledge of their eventual harvesting. These plantations most certainly exceed the natural density of Mahogany trees within a forest, yet the teeming ecosystems that thrive under their high canopies remain. Once a tree was felled, it was customary to entrust the prodigious task of hauling the logs over these trails, to cattle in the America, and in Africa to man power.

Throughout the twentieth century, despite technological advances and the wide use of tractors, it was still often necessary to resort to men or oxen to pull logs from their paths. Anderson, This practice continues at a rate representative of the size of the mahogany industry today because of the difficult natural terrain and the inherent destructiveness of large machinery on the ecosystem.

Cuban mahogany was in such widespread demand that it could not contest or abate the rate of its commercial consumption. It was desired in a seemingly-limitless number of applications, ranging from furniture, decking and instruments to patrol boats used in World War II.

This species of Mahogany was used by Spanish explorers in the early s to repair their seafaring vessels and construct canoes. Lamb, Fine pieces of cabinetry constructed from this timber marked the Spanish renaissance. Because tradition in England called for the use of domestic oak and walnut lumber in furniture, Cuban mahogany was not adopted as their preferred wooden medium until circa From then on Swietenia mahagoni was the choice of the royals, officials, elites, businesses, and really anyone who could afford it.

Once adopted by the English, Cuban mahogany almost overnight became the most popular in France and Italy. Aronson, By the early s, furniture pieces made from this wood were even popular in the Americas. The leaves are quickly replaced, but a large tree can create a considerable amount of leaf litter. The mahogany tree is usually propagated from seed. The seeds are formed in fruit that develop through the summer, fall and winter months.

In late spring, around the time that the tree's leaves drop, the fruit splits open into five sections. The fruits release winged seeds roughly 2 inches long that are dispersed into the area around the tree by the wind. The mahogany tree grows best in areas exposed to direct sunlight throughout the day; however, it can also tolerate partially shaded locations. The best soil for growing mahogany trees is well-drained, with a comparatively high concentration of organic matter.

Utile is widely used in window and door manufacturing and in various architectural millwork applications. It is also used for musical instrument manufacturing. All of the lumber variations mentioned above are sourced with great care for high quality and legality. Legal sourcing is a process we take very seriously — J.

Gibson McIlvain employees visit and inspect all lumber purchased at the source. We have long term relationships with suppliers who maintain meticulous records and can track every log back to its origin. Since , when Hugh McIlvain established a lumber business near Philadelphia, the McIlvain family has been immersed in the premium import and domestic lumber industry. With its headquarters located just outside of Baltimore, the J. Gibson McIlvain Company www. As an active supporter of sustainable lumber practices, the J.

Gibson McIlvain Company has provided fine lumber for notable projects throughout the world, including the White House, Capitol building, Supreme Court, and the Smithsonian museums. Sapele Sapele Entandrophragma cylindricum is a moderately priced substitute for traditional Genuine Mahogany.