Family: Meliaceae
Origin, Description & Uses
Swietenia macrophylla, commonly known as large-leaf mahogany, is a large tropical hardwood tree native to Mexico, Central America, and South America south to Bolivia and Brazil. It is widely planted throughout the tropics for its valuable reddish-brown timber, which is prized for furniture, cabinetry, musical instruments, boat building, and other high-quality wood products. The tree can grow over 100 feet tall and has a broad canopy with large, pinnate leaves and woody seed capsules. In Hawai‘i, it has been planted as a forestry, shade, and ornamental tree and is now naturalized on O‘ahu and Maui.
Risks & Threats
Large-leaf mahogany is naturalized in Hawai‘i and possesses traits that are cause for concern. The species produces many wind-dispersed seeds, grows well in tropical environments, and can establish in disturbed forests and secondary vegetation. In some regions outside its native range, it has shown the ability to spread beyond cultivation and compete with native vegetation. Although impacts in Hawai‘i are still being evaluated, caution is recommended to ensure that this species will not negatively impact local ecosystems or contribute to the displacement of native plants over time.
High Risk Traits:
- Broad climate suitability (wide elevation range, tropical & subtropical)
- Naturalized outside native range (Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Trinidad)
- Disturbance-adapted weed; establishes in secondary forests & disturbed sites
- Can become dominant & suppress native plants
- Produces viable seed
- Hybridizes naturally with other Swietenia species
- Self-compatible
- Wind-dispersed seeds (up to 500 m)
- Intentionally dispersed by people (widely planted)
- Tolerates mutilation & benefits from cutting (sprouting ability)
- Shade tolerant at some life stages (young trees)
- Tolerates wide range of soil types
Low Risk Traits:
- No spines, thorns, or burrs
- Not toxic to animals or humans
- No vegetative fragmentation (spreads by seed only)
- Unlikely to disperse as a produce contaminant
- Not bird-dispersed; seeds eaten/destroyed by animals
- No persistent soil seed bank (seeds viable only one season)
- Not prolific (seed density low near parent tree)
- Palatable to grazing animals (seedlings eaten by deer/goats)
