MAHOGANY ( from South American not h000nf, the native name). The timber of a num ber of trees, the most highly esteemed being that of Swietenia Mahogani. a large tree of the natu ral order native of the West Indies. Central and tropical South America. The tree attains a height of 60 to 100 feet, and a diameter of 6 feet or more, but these dimensions are riot common. The former supplies of Cuba, Jamaica, and other islands of the West Indies are greatly reduced, and Central America furnishes the com mercial demand. As occasional specimens the tree is met with in the extreme south of Florida, hut not of a size or abundance to be of much economic value. The tree has compound leaves with usually four, sometimes throe or five. pairs of leaflets, and panicles of small white or yel lowish flowers that sometimes turn reddish. The wood is rich reddish brown, varying widely in its shades and markings and capable of receiving a high polish. The tree varies greatly in its rate of growth, being most rapid upon rich moist soils, but here the timber is frequently of coarser grain than when grown more slowly upon less fer tile soils. The character of the timber produced in different countries varies. That from Santo Domingo (also known as Spanish mahogany) and Cuba is considered the best. and that front Honduras not so valuable, because it is less finely grained and marked. The cutting and removing of this timber to the coast for export. gives em ployment to a large number of men and oxen. rile logs as exported are usually squared so as to get rid of as much of the less valuable sapwood as possible, and also to admit of better con veyance. Formerly mahogany was largely used
in ship-building, especially in the Spanish navy, but it is now almost entirely a caldnet-maker's wood, entering into manifold uses either solid or as a veneer. Mahogany was introduced into England by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1597, it having been used in the repair of one of his ships: but while the wood greatly admired. it did not become an article of commerce until about one Hundred and fifty years later. Two other little known species, Swietenia angolensis and Swie tenia hmnilis, occur in Central America. In Cedrela Toona, a valuable tree of the same natural order as Swietenia, is called ma hogany. its Imiher is quite like the true ma hogany. in Australia the Haute mahogany is applied to the timber of a number of species of Eucalyptus (q.v.). In the Western United States Cercocarpus ledifolins is called Mountain mahogany and Ceroicarpus parvifolins valley mahogany. There are also several varieties of the latter. These trees belong to the natural order Rosaera., and are found from Colorado to New \lexieo and west ward to California. The East. Indian mahogany is the timber of the rohuna tree (Soymida febrifuge), and the Afri can mahogany that of Senegalensis, both belonging to the same natural order as the true mahogany.