Mahogany

Mahogany grows as tall as about 66-98 ft (20-30 m), and can achieve a diameter of more than 24 in (60 cm), exclusive of the large, basal buttresses the tree usually develops. Mahogany is a slow-growing tree, and it usually occurs in older, closed forests.

The wood of mahogany is very hard, heavy, and strong, and has a rich, red-brown color, with an attractive, crooked grain. Mahogany wood is among the world's most prized and hardest-wearing timbers, and is principally used to manufacture fine furniture. The bark of mahogany is a dark brown color and rather scaly.

The dark-green colored leaves of mahogany are arranged in an alternate fashion on the twigs. Mahogany leaves are compound, meaning six to eight oval-shaped, leathery leaflets arise from a single petiole. The entire leaf has a length of 4-7 in (10-18 cm). Mahogany leaves are evergreen, that is, they are not shed all at once at some particular season.

The flowers of mahogany are small, only about 0.1 in (2-3 mm) in diameter, with five greenish or whitish petals, and occurring in open clusters as a loose inflorescence. The flowers secrete nectar, and are pollinated by insects. The fruits of mahogany are a reddish-brown capsule, which when ripe, split along five seams to shed the 0.8 in (2 cm) long seeds.