172 MELIACEAE. 
SWIETENIA. Mahogany. 
(Family Meliaceae). 
Tender trees, often’ of large 
size and then with buttressed 
trunks: subevergreen. Twigs gla- 
brous, moderate, terete: pith 
round, continuous, light brown. 
Buds solitary, sessile, small, de- 
pressed globose, with about 3 
more or less abruptly pointed ex- 
posed scales, the end-bud lacking. 
Leaf-scars alternate, half-round or 
somewhat shield-shaped, little 
raised: bundle-traces 3: stipule- 
scars lacking. Leaves, if present, 
pinnately compound. 
Mahogany, which furnishes the 
most important cabinet wood ex- 
ported from the tropics where it 
occurs as scattered individual 
trees in a mixed forest, is rather 
effective as a shade tree where 
temperatures are favorable. In 
twigs, buds and foliage it resembles the preceding closely 
but differs in its compact bark and excellent wood. 
An idea of the buttressed trunk of a mature mahogany 
tree is given by the plate facing p. 463 of Gibson’s American 
Forest Trees. 
Twigs light brown, warty. S. Mahagoni. 
