When you are lucky enough to be surrounded by stunning flora year-round here in the Cayman Islands, it can be easy to overlook certain plant material because it doesn’t have an intoxicating aroma or bright and bold flashy tropical flowers. But it could have some other properties that may be uniquely different, and just not identifiable to the naked eye.
This notion could not be truer for the West Indian mahogany, or Swietenia mahogani, which can be found all over Camana Bay – from Foster’s to OLEA. There are currently more than 100 trees strategically placed where they will perform best.
Indigenous to the Americas, including the Caribbean, the West Indian mahogany is a beautiful hardwood tree that inconspicuously thrives in the landscape where it is naturally occurring. Its native range is extensive, from South Florida all throughout the Caribbean islands. It has only two other species in the genus, which are naturally occurring in Central America and Mexico near the Pacific coast. Belonging to a much larger family of almost 60 genera, plants in the Meliaceae family are generally found in the neotropics, the region made up of South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Of course, we have loads of sunshine across our islands, and S. mahogani prefers just that: full sun, and although tolerant to a bit of shade, it will negatively affect the growth rate. Typically, it will be found in coastal areas of its native region as it is extremely salt, wind and drought tolerant. It wants to sink its roots into well-draining and organically rich soils, but its drought tolerance will allow some flexibility in the soil profile. Topping out at an astounding maximum height of 75 feet, it can achieve a similarly impressive spread of almost 50 feet, indicating this tree needs room to grow.
Semi-evergreen and flowering in the spring, the greenish-yellow flowers occur daintily on axillary clusters and are somewhat camouflaged against the deep green leaves; but as previously mentioned, S. mahogani isn’t necessarily prized for its outside appearance. Boldly hiding in plain sight is one of the most beautiful and durable timbers you have ever laid your eyes on. Straight grained and in varying hues of reddish-brown, this tropical hardwood is rot, termite and moisture resistant, making it extremely useful. Historically, it has been used to build furniture, boats and musical instruments, often starring as the neck of handcrafted acoustic guitars.
It is also easy to work with, but of course with all natural resources, it is important to maintain a level of responsibility and a balance with Mother Nature. If you’re having a try at woodworking with West Indian mahogany, perhaps collect a samara (a winged seed) or two and plant one at the same time for Arbor Day at the end of the month!
This article was published in the April 2024 print edition of Camana bay Times.