Mahogany - Definition and Overview

This article is about the trees in the family Meliaceae. Mahogany is also used as the name of a color that matches this wood. For the unrelated species in the genus Cercocarpus, see Mountain-mahogany.

The name Mahogany was first used in the New World for two trees of the genus Swietenia, namely S. mahagoni (West Indian Mahogany) from the Caribbean and S. macrophylla (Honduras Mahogany) from Central and South America, and also subsequently in the Old World for similar timbers from several related trees, including species from the African genera Entandophragma, Guarea and Khaya, and the Asian genus Toona. These hardwood trees all belong to the mahogany family Meliaceae.

All these types of mahogany are used to make furniture because they are easy to work, resist the attack of dry-wood termites, and have a beautiful reddish sheen when polished. The timber is water-resistant, and for this reason it was used in the past for ship building. There is a "famous" ship called the 'Mahogany ship' rumored to be buried in the dunes near Warrnambool, Victoria.

Trade Regulation

The trade of several species of Mahogany is regulated by the voluntary Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as the logging of the trees is deemed destructive to the rainforest ecology. Parties to the Convention, which includes most countries, are prohibited from legally importing the wood. However, the export of Mahogany, often illegally, continues, as the wood is highly valued.

International environmental organizations such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and Rainforest Action Network have campaigned to expose illegal traffic in the wood, as well as to strengthen international regulations.