Baywood

Reddish-brown tone

In the past this tree was only found in Central and South America but has since conquered the world. The Honduras mahogany can reach 70 m in height and produce a thick trunk during its 350 year life span. It also releases a sweet smell. The brown fruits are held on stalks above the leaves, making them appear as if they are floating - hence their name ‘sky fruit’.

Mahogany is a valuable commodity to the furniture industry because of its fine, workable wood with the typical reddish brown hue. Instrument makers apply the wood to music instruments because the wood gives it a warm tone. This is the reason why mahogany is incorporated into many guitars.

The Honduras mahogany is one of the three true mahogany species. In American rainforests illegal logging and erosion pose major threats to this tree.

No special attention required

The Honduras mahogany can grow to 45 m in height. As with African mahogany, the Honduras mahogany produces buttress roots. The large, pinnate leaves, where each leaflet can reach 15 cm long, are very characteristic.

The fruits are also very striking – they don’t hang down from the tree but instead grow straight upwards, hence the English nickname ‘sky fruit’. The winged seeds are dispersed by the wind and can drift 500 m from the parent tree.

The Honduras mahogany is native to South America and Central America but has also been planted on Hawaii and in Singapore, and in plantations in other tropical countries main of which in Asia. One a global scale India and the Fiji Islands are the main suppliers of this wood.

Ecology and habitat

The Honduras mahogany does not make any high demands on its habitat. It occurs in the transition from savannah and forest, as well as in primary, virgin, tropical rainforest. However it does prefer environments with fairly fertile soil near river courses. In places where the rainfall is not spread evenly over the year, the Honduras mahogany will drop its leaves during the dry season.

Threat

Swietenia macrophylla is one of three species that yield the sought-after ‘real mahogany’ wood. The species is now very vulnerable as a result of logging. The trade in wood from trees growing in the wild has to be regulated according to the CITES-agreement (Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species).

If the felling of these trees takes place at a sustainable rate then the Honduras mahogany has a relatively good chance of survival. In places where logging does take place this species can act as a pioneer and start to recover.