West Indian Mahogany

The West Indian Mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni) is a medium to large tree with a straight trunk and a broad, dense, rounded crown. They have the potential to grow up to 75 ft tall with a trunk diameter of over 2 ft, but such large trees are very rare. The bark is reddish-brown and becomes roughened by thick scales as it ages. The tree also has flowers with a greenish-yellow coloration between the spring and summer months. The West Indian Mahogany used to be heavily logged as it was the original source for commercial mahogany. The exploitation of this species carried out well after the late 20th century. Today, it is listed as “threatened” and under legal protection in Florida.