Swietenia mahagoni
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West Indian Mahogany
Meliaceae
Plant Specifics
| Form: | Tree | |
| Size: | 30-70 (80) ft tall by 40-60 ft wide | |
| Life Span: | Long-lived perennial | |
| Flower Color: | Green | |
| Fruit Color: | Brown | |
| Phenology: | Briefly deciduous. Inconspicuous flowers in spring. Fruits ripen late-summer - fall. Life span 100+ years (Nelson 2003). | |
| Noted for: | Aroma, fragrance, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Street tree. Yard and park shade tree. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propagation: | Seed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Availability: | Native nurseries, Quality nurseries, Seed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Full Sun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| (Somewhat moist, no flooding ----- to ----- Short very dry periods) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: | Somewhat moist, no flooding ----- to ----- Short very dry periods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance: | Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil or other substrate: | Clay, Loam, Lime rock, Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil pH: | Adaptable | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ecology
| Wildlife: |
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| Insects: | Attracts a diverse community of small butterflies and moths. Many species of ants, thrips, small beetles, flies, bees, and wasps also visit flowers, many of these feeding on the basal nectary. | |
| Native Habitats: | Tropical rockland hammock, coastal hammocks. |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
10A 10B 11
USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
Comments
| Ethnobotany: | This is the original source of commercial mahogany, now replaced by Honduras mahogany (S. macrophylla). It was heavily logged in South Florida prior to the 1900s.
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| General Comments: | Listed as Threatened by the Florida FDACS. Host plant for mahogony mistletoe,Phoradendron rubrum, which is listed as Endangered by the Florida FDAS. There are reports that this tree is becoming invasive in southern Florida in some areas beyond its natural range. |