Mahogany

Mahogany, common name for a medium-size family (about 575 species in about 50 genera) of tropical trees and shrubs important for high-quality timber (see Soapberry). True mahoganies are mainly members of one American and one African genus. They produce the high-quality reddish timber. Members of the family usually have pinnate leaves (divided in parallel rows of leaflets) and flowers with three to five sepals and three to seven petals. The 3 to 19 stamens are fused along their filaments (stalks) to form a tube.

Mahogany wood is heavy, strong, and easily worked, and resists rot and termites. It is used in cabinetmaking and veneers, and formerly—before all the large trees were cut—in building. Other genera in the family besides the true mahoganies also yield useful wood, oils, insecticides, and edible fruits. The Persian lilac, native to the mountains of southern and eastern Asia, is widely planted in southern Europe as an ornamental and roadside tree.

Scientific classification: Mahoganies belong to the family Meliaceae. True mahoganies are classified in the American genus Swietenia and the African genus Khaya. The Persian lilac is classified as Melia azedarach.