Fruit (seed capsule) of West Indian mahogany (Swietenia mahogani) near Industrial Technology building at Palomar College. The fruits are produced on short, upturned branches, a phenomenon called "sky fruits" because they grow toward the sky!

Mahogany has a straight, fine, and even grain, and is relatively free of voids and pockets. Its reddish-brown color darkens over time, and displays a reddish sheen when polished. It has excellent workability, and is very durable. Historically, the tree's girth allowed for wide boards from traditional mahogany species. These properties make it a favorable wood for crafting cabinets and furniture. Mahogany also resists wood rot, making it attractive in boat construction and outdoor decking. Unfortunately, over-harvesting of Honduras and Brazilian mahogany, and the protests by indigenous peoples and environmental organizations from the 1980s into the 2000s, has diminished its use.

I was once presented with a box of wood samples from numerous species of trees from my former student Steven Disparti, son of Nick Disparti, long-time professor and chair in the Industrial Arts Department of Palomar College. Nick was a master wood-carver and his beautiful pieces were on display at Studio 38 in the Spanish Village, Balboa Park. One of the samples from extensive wood collection was labeled "Tabasco Mahogany," a native Swietenia macrophylla from the Tabasco State of southeastern Mexico. Compared with other woods, mahogany is a medium heavy hardwood. See following table from the Wayne's Word Hardwoods article:

According to Wikipedia, mahogany is a tonewood, often used for musical instruments, particularly the backs, sides and necks of acoustic guitars, electric guitar bodies, and drum shells because of its ability to produce a very deep, warm tone compared to other commonly used woods, such as maple, alder, ash or spruce. Guitars featuring mahogany in their construction include select Martin Guitars such as the D-18, select Taylor Guitars, select Gibson Guitars, such as the Les Paul SG and J45, and select Hagstrom guitars.

Regarded as one of tallest and most magnificent forest trees of Belize, the Honduran mahogany, or simply "mahogany tree" (Swietenia macrophylla), is the country’s national tree. The trees take 60-80 years to mature and grow to heights between 75 and 100 feet. The leaves are larger than West Indian mahogany (S. mahogani), the national tree of Dominican Republic. During the 18th century, British settlers switched from logwood to mahogany as the main export.

Many years ago a guide took me up the New River, Belize in his small boat with outboard motor to photograph logwood (Haematoxylum campechianum). Historically, this was a very important tree in the colonization of British Honduras by the British, although the conditions for slaves who inhabited the swamps to harvest logwood were deplorable. When I did some on-line research for this page on mahogany I discovered several articles that said the 2 men in Belize coat of arms were mahogany cutters in forests of Honduran mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla). The coat of arms have changed over the years. In the 1907 version, the 2 wood cutters were both dark-skinned. I always understood that the 2 men were logwood cutters (see below for good explanation).

Based on specimens at 2 botanical gardens, I once thought we had a brazilwood tree (Caesalpinia echinata) near the old chemistry building at Palomar College; however, it lacked the characteristic dark heartwood yielding the red dye brazilin. I soon discovered that it was tara (C. spinosa), a thorny, multiple-trunked tree or large shrub native to South America and naturalized in the Arboretum.

Coat of Arms Explanation from mybelize.net "The red and blue colors of the flag represent unity of the people. The 50 olive leaves that border around the perimeter of the coat of arms symbolize the year of 1950 when Belize, then British Honduras, began its quest for Independence. The Mahogany Tree represents the country’s economic foundation. The two men on either side of the tree represent the logwood workers. The fairer carries an axe which symbolizes the logwood cutters and the darker carries an oar to symbolize how the workers traveled by river to find and transport the logwood. Under the Mahogany Tree is a shield separated into three parts: the left is an oar and squaring axe, the right is a saw and beating axe, and the base has a ship in full sail. Directly below the shield is the National Motto, “Sub Umbra Floreo”, in Latin which translates to “Under the Shade I Flourish” referring to the shade of the Mahogany Tree." (coat of arms also on Belize currency.) See Following Wayne's Word Articles

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