Swietenia mahagoni
West Indian Mahogany
Meliaceae
Plant Specifics
| Form: | Tree | |
| Life Span: | Long-lived perennial | |
| Flower Color: | Green | |
| Fruit Color: | Brown | |
| Phenology: | Evergreen | |
| 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: | Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance: | Some tolerance to salty wind but not 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 and is listed as threatened in Florida. | |
| General Comments: | In South Florida, this is the only host of the critically imperiled mahogany mistletoe (Phoradendron rubrum). There are reports that this tree is becoming invasive in southern Florida in some areas beyond its natural range. |