168 



"WOOD AND FORKST. 



Habitat. 



56 



Mahogany. 



Sivietcnia maliagoni Jaequin. 



Hioietenia, in honor of Dr. Gerard Van Swieten of Austria; mahaijoni, a 

 South American word. 



Habitat : ( See map ) ; 

 only on Florida Keys in 

 the United States, 



Characteristics of the 

 Tree: Height, 40'-50'; 

 diameter, 2' or more, for- 

 eign trees larger; immense 

 buttresses at base of trunk ; 

 bark, thick, dark red- 

 brown, having surface of 

 broad, thick scales; leaves, 

 4"-6" long, compound, 4 

 pairs of leaflets; fruit, 

 4"-5" long, containing 

 seeds. 



Appearance of Wood : 



Color, red-brown, sap- 

 wood, thin, yellow ; dif- 

 fuse-porous : rings, incon- 

 spicuous; grain, crooked; 

 rays, fine and scattered, 

 but plain. 



Physical Qualities ; 



Heavy (14th in this list), 

 45 lbs. per cu. ft. ; sp. gr., 

 0.7282; very strong (20tb 

 in this list) : elastic (24th 

 in tliis list) ; very hard 

 (1st in tliis list) ; shrink- 



