Khaya senegalensis seed

LATIN NAME: Khaya senegalensis

COMMON NAME: African Mahogany

The African mahogany is the tall, stately hardwood tree of the West African forests and the savannahs. The big, deciduous tree with the smooth, pale-grey trunk and the broad, spreading crown carries the large, glossy, pinnate leaves, and the small, white, fragrant flowers open in the loose clusters, to be followed by the heavy, woody, five-valved capsules holding the flat, winged seeds. The tree is one of the fine, quick timber trees of the tropics, and the reddish-brown heartwood has a long record of use in the fine furniture, the panelling and the boats. It is a tree of the deep, rich, well-drained ground.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The African mahogany has its own quiet corner of the plant science, and the tree has been studied for the tall, straight habit and the heavy, woody, five-valved capsules with the flat, winged seeds. The way the tree grows fast and straight in the warm regions has been studied closely, and it keeps showing up in the work on the timber trees, the plantation trees and the trees of the West African forests. The smooth, pale-grey trunk and the broad, spreading crown have also made it a fine avenue tree, and the African mahogany is a regular subject of the studies of the mahogany family and the fine hardwoods of the tropics.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

The African mahogany more than earns its place in the garden and the sawmill alike. The tall, stately tree is a fine, bold presence in the large garden, the park and the avenue, and the broad, spreading crown gives a generous shade. The reddish-brown heartwood has a long record of use in the fine furniture, the panelling, the joinery and the boats, and the tree is one of the important timber trees of its native West Africa. It has been written about in the forestry and the horticultural papers for the fast, straight growth and the fine timber, and it is a fine, long-lived tree of the deep, rich, well-drained garden.

The African mahogany is one of the fine timber trees of the tropics, and the reddish-brown heartwood takes the fine polish of the furniture and the panelling. The flat, winged seeds are shed from the heavy, woody, five-valved capsules, and the broad, spreading crown gives a generous shade in the large garden and the park.

To grow the African mahogany from seed, soak the flat, winged seeds in warm water overnight, then sow them into pots of moist, free-draining soil at a shallow depth, keep them in a warm, bright spot and water gently. The seedlings appear within a few weeks and grow on fast. With the sun, the warmth and the deep, rich, well-drained ground, the tall, stately tree will rise through the years.

Large usually deciduous tree growing to 30m in height. It has a smooth thick trunk, up to 1m in diameter with dark Grey bark. It has glossy pinnate mid green leaves forming a thick canopy. It flowers in axillary panicles of small creamy white blossoms. Small woody capsules to 8cm follow in the warmer months.
The high value African Mahogany Timber has been one of the most recognized, versatile and valued timber for several centuries. Its used in many flooring applications