Big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla)

Mahoni or mahogany or big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) is a large tree in Meliaceae with a height reaching 35–40 meters, diameter up to 125 cm, straight stems and cylindrical. This tree reduces air pollution by around 47%-69%, shade trees, air filters and water catchers.

S. macrophylla has blackish brown bark, shallow grooves like scales, while the bark is gray and smooth when still young, but turns dark brown, grooved and flakes after aging. Mahoni blooms after 7 years of age, cylindrical flower crowns, brownish yellow, stamens attached to crowns, white and brownish anthers.

Fruit appears in ovoid packs, notched five and brown. Flat seeds, black or brown. Mahogany grows wild in forests and other places in the lowlands or planted on the edge of the road as a protective tree. Big-leaf mahogany can flourish in brackish sand close to the beach.

Big-leaf mahogany are called air filter trees and water catchers. The leaves absorb pollutants around and release oxygen which makes the surrounding air fresh. Soil and roots bind rainwater which is beneficial for water reserves.

Fruit contains flavonoids and saponins for blood circulation, reduces cholesterol and fat deposits in the blood vessels, acts as an antioxidant to get rid of free radicals, prevent pestilence, helps improve the immune system, prevents blood clots and strengthens heart function.

Mahoni survives in arid land and brackish sand close to the beach and likes a place with lots of direct sunlight. S. macrophylla can live for months without water. Big-leaf mahogany grows well at a maximum height of 1,500 meters above sea level, rainfall of 1,524-5,085 mm/year, and temperatures of 11-36C.

Since the 1990s, many have started to be cultivated for wood that has high economic value. The quality of hardwood and is very good for furniture, carving items and handicrafts. Often also for ruler material because size is not easily changed.

The quality of mahogany is slightly below teak (Tectona grandis) and is often dubbed the second prima donna in the world timber market. The bark is used to dye the clothes where the cloth is boiled with mahogany bark will turn yellow and not fade. Mahogany sap is used as raw material for glue and leaves for animal feed.

Seed extract is used as a vegetable pesticide to control Plutella xylostella and Crocidolomia binolalis which attack cabbage plants, especially during pests in the larval stage. The use of botanical insecticides is an alternative pest control to reduce the negative impact of using unwise synthetic insecticides.

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Meliaceae
Genus: Swietenia
Species: S. macrophylla

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