Plants
big-leaf mahogany
Swietenia macrophylla King
Family: Meliaceae · Genus: Swietenia
mahogany
Climax Amazonian premium timber, CITES Appendix II. Pasini lists it in the emergent/high stratum of Tabela 3 and cites it explicitly as a premium timber species — alongside ipês, jequitibá, jacarandá, cedro, peroba-rosa, and jatobá.
Götsch succession
- Götsch stage
- Climax
- Ecological role
- Climax
- Primary stratum
- Emergent
- Strata
- Emergent, High
- Biomass class
- Mulch biomass
Environment
- Light requirement
- Partial sun
- Water requirement
- High
- Drought tolerance
- Moderate
- Waterlogging tolerance
- Low
- Soil pH range
- 6–8.5
- Preferred soil texture
- Loamy, Clayey
Morphology
- Mature height
- 25–50 m
- Recommended spacing
- 3–5 m
- Root system
- Lateral
- Root depth
- Shallow
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Lifespan
- 100–350 years
- Time to first harvest
- 180 months
Biomes & climate
- Amazon Native
Köppen classes
- Tropical rainforest (Af) Native
- Tropical monsoon (Am) Native
- Tropical savanna with dry winter (Aw) Suitable
Where it fits in a guild
Big-leaf mahogany takes the Emergent stratum in the Climax phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.
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❓ Frequently asked questions
How long until the first harvest of big-leaf mahogany?
The first harvest of big-leaf mahogany comes around 180 months after planting.
What spacing is recommended for big-leaf mahogany?
The recommended spacing for big-leaf mahogany is 3–5 m.
How tall does big-leaf mahogany grow?
At maturity, big-leaf mahogany reaches 25–50 m tall.
What stage and stratum does big-leaf mahogany occupy in a syntropic system?
In a syntropic system, big-leaf mahogany belongs to the climax stage, occupying the emergent stratum.
Functions
Propagation
Seed
Citations
- Pasini, F. & Guimarães, L. (2017) — Conceitos e princípios práticos da agrofloresta sucessional, Tabela 3 (Incaper) , p. 116 (primary_stratum)
- Plants For A Future (PFAF) — Swietenia macrophylla (height_max_m, ph_min, ph_max, water_need, drought_tolerance, soil_texture_preference, growth_rate)
- World Agroforestry (ICRAF) AgroforesTree Database — Swietenia macrophylla (height_min_m, height_max_m, spacing_min_m, spacing_max_m, propagation, root_depth, time_to_first_harvest_months)
External references
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