Swietenia mahagoni and Swietenia macrophylla, the differences

SPECIES HEAD TO HEAD - To date, mahogany (Swietenia Jacq.) is recorded as having four species: West Indian mahogany or small-leaved mahogany (Swietenia mahagoni (L.) Jacq.), big-leaf mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King), Honduran mahogany (Swietenia humilis Zucc.) and Swietenia × aubrevilleana Stehlé & Cusin.

The debate over the number of taxa in the genus is still not resolved. Some researchers believe that there are only two species: S. mahagoni and S. macrophylla. I agree with that opinion and the two species can only be differentiated by the size of the leaves.

All species in this genus have similar morphology except for leaf size. The following is the key to identifying these two species.

S. mahagoni has a stalk length of around 37 cm with 5-6 pairs of strands. The strands are about 10 cm long and about 3.5 cm wide.

Dlium Swietenia mahagoni and Swietenia macrophylla, the differences 2

S. macrophylla has a stalk length of up to 45 cm with 4-5 pairs of strands. The strands are up to 31 cm long and up to 8 cm wide.

Dlium Swietenia mahagoni and Swietenia macrophylla, the differences 3

By Aryo Bandoro
Founder of Dlium.com. You can follow him on X: @Abandoro.

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The oldest drawing specimen collection, Balaenoptera physalus Linnaeus, 1758 (OBS.296787995)

BLOG - Before the invention of photography, everything was explained by hand drawings that required naturalists to be able to draw to describe the specimens they documented. Scholars from taxonomy to medicine had to be able to sketch leaves to the human heart, this is why the academic world at that time had the subject of "art and science". A tradition that taxonomic drawings are accompanied by a measurement scale usually by placing a measuring tool in millimeters or centimeters or inches that supports scientific sketches has an identification context, but of course there are obstacles to having to document large specimens. I found a picture of a large specimen: Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758). Uniquely, the specimen with catalogue number: OBS.296787995 and stored at the Observation International, Aarlanderveen, Netherlands, is the oldest I have ever known. The shabby drawing with three folds and worn edges was made in 1547 or more than 500 years old. Previously I ...

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