40
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
Mahoganies. One of the most flagrant cases of the
misuse of common names is that of Mahogany. Mahogany is
the name properly given to woods of the genus Swietenia, a
group of plants belonging to the family Meliaceae, and occurring
in tropical America. S. Mahogoni produces the Spanish,
Cuban, Tobasco and San Domingo Mahogany, while S.
macrophylla is the tree from which most of the rather less valuable
Honduras Mahogany is obtained. The woods have long been
used for cabinet and ornamental work, and are admirable for
the purpose, as they work well and are capable of a good finish,
and do not warp or twist badly. It is not surprising that the
wood is in great demand. Other trees of the genus Swietenia
also yield Mahogany, but these timbers are less well-known,
although, as Cuban Mahogany becomes more difficult to obtain,
they will undoubtedly become more familiar woods. A number
of woods from Africa also produce commercial Mahogany;
African Mahogany is the wood of Khaya spp., while Sapeli
Mahogany comes from species of Entandrophragma. There
is, perhaps, some excuse for marketing these woods as Mahoganies,
as they are all produced by Meliaceous trees, although the wood
is different from that of true Mahogany. This applies equally
to the Rose Mahogany (Dysoxylum Fraseranum). Even so the
woods are easily distinguished from the wood of Swietenia,
and it would be preferable if these timbers had some other
trade name. Other woods are, however, termed Mahogany,
although not members of the Mahogany family. From West
Africa comes Gaboon Mahogany (Auconmea Klaineana), a
member of the Burseraceae, while another tree of the same
family (Canarium) produces Indian White Mahogany : a Tiliaceous
tree from Burma, Pentace burmanica, yields a wood which is
sometimes sold as Burmese Mahogany: Australia produces
Red Mahogany (Eucalyptus resinifera), and Bastard Mahogany
(Eucalyptus marginata), more commonly known as Jarrah,
both plants belonging to the family Myrtaceae: the various
Philippine Mahoganies come from members of the Dip-
terocarpaceae, chiefly Shorea and Hopea. These so-called
Mahoganies mostly differ so much from the true Mahoganies
that no experienced person is likely to be deceived ; the marketing
of such woods under this name cannot be defended. Opinion
against the practice grew so strong in the United States that in