Swietcnia 



MELTACE.i: 



217 



M a h o g a n y. 



From the sea-shore up to 3000 ft. ; in fl. after May rains ; Wright \ 

 Broughtonl Macfadijen\ Parnell\ Priori Balll King's House grounds, 

 Harris ! Fl. Jam. 8636. Florida Keys, Bahamas, Cayman, Cuba, His- 

 paniola, St. Thomas, St. Cruz, Martinique, St. Vincent, Trinidad, Mexico, 

 Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru. 



Tree commonly 30-50 ft. high. Leaves 8-11 cm. 1. ; leaflets, 4 pairs, 

 very unequal-sided, the base on the broader side rounded, lanceolate, 





Fig. 72. Swietenia mahagoni Jacq. 



A, Leaf and inflorescence x A. 



B Bu<ls and open flower ; "V, staininal 



tube x l 1 . 



C, Flower cut lengthwise ; s, staininal 

 tube ; rf, disk x 5. 



D, Fruit, ripe and splitting open ^ 



valve removed), showing seeds X [. 



E, Central axis of fruit ; p, points of 



attachment of seeds X ' . 



F, Seed x ;-;. 



(A after Hooker, Bot. Misc.) 



apex acute, cuspidate, glabrous, 8-3 cm. 1. Calyx about 1 mm. 1., lobes 

 rounded, glabrous. Petals white, elliptical, about 3'5 mm. 1. Staminal 

 tube about 3 mm. 1. Capsule about 1 dm. 1. Seeds about 6 cm. 1. 



Browne in 1756 wrote : " This tree grew formerly very common in 

 Jamaica, and while it could be had in the low lands, and brought to 

 market at an easy rate, furnished a very considerable branch of the exports. 



