African mahogany
Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A.Juss.
African mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) is a large tree from West and Central Africa yielding handsome, durable mahogany timber; it is widely planted in Vietnam as a shade and timber tree.
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African mahogany — Whole treeAfrican mahogany — Whole tree
African mahogany — Leaves
African mahogany — Trunk & bark
African mahogany — Plant
African mahogany — Trunk & barkAfrican mahogany — Whole treeAfrican mahogany — Whole treeOverview
A tree 15–30 m tall with a broad rounded crown and grey, scaly bark. Leaves are pinnate; small creamy-white flowers form loose clusters; round capsules split into 4–5 valves to release winged seeds.
The wood is pinkish-brown to reddish-brown, attractively figured, easy to work and resistant to insects and weather, so it is used for quality furniture, boats and musical instruments. The bark and seeds are mildly toxic and are used in West African folk medicine.
Life cycle
From seed to productSeed
Winged seeds are sown in tubes or beds and kept moist until germination.
Sapling
Light-demanding saplings grow fast and are pruned for a straight trunk.
Mature tree
Trees 15–30 m with a broad shade crown and characteristic scaly bark.
Timber harvest
After 20–30 years the timber is harvested and sawn for joinery.
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- West Africa40%
- Central Africa25%
- Vietnam (planted)20%
- Other plantings15%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- Khaya limonoidsBitter, antimicrobial, insect-repellent0%
Uses
- Quality furniture, boats, musical instruments
- Street and park shade tree
- Bark and seeds in folk medicine
Properties
- Wood
- Pink-brown, figured, durable
- Crown
- Broad, evergreen
- Growth
- Fast, drought-tolerant
Habitat & conservation
Dry forests and moist savanna of West Africa, often near rivers; drought-tolerant, grows on many soils and is planted across the seasonal tropics.
Conservation
Listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN because of heavy logging in its native range; however it is widely planted, so much timber now comes from plantations.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Khaya senegalensis — Kew Science, 2024
- 2IUCN Red List — Khaya senegalensis — IUCN, 2019
- 3PROSEA — Timber trees: Khaya — PROSEA, 1994
- 4Hình ảnh minh hoạ lấy từ Wikimedia Commons, tôn trọng giấy phép ghi kèm — Wikimedia Commons,
- 5Nguồn ảnh: Binh Giang (Public domain), Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons,
- 6Nguồn ảnh: Forestowlet (CC0), Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons,
- 7Nguồn ảnh: Photo by David J. Stang (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons,
- 8Nguồn ảnh: Marco Schmidt [1] (CC BY-SA 2.5), Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons,