West Indian mahogany

In the 18th century Cuban mahogany was Europe’s most prized furniture wood – the material of Chippendale-style furniture.

A tree of the mahogany family, growing to 25–30 m, with pinnate leaves bearing a few pairs of leathery leaflets and egg-shaped, woody capsules that release winged seeds. It grows in dry and semi-humid lowland forests, often on limestone. Its reddish-brown wood is hard, durable and resistant to pests, yet easy to work and takes a beautiful polish. Ruthless exploitation means that large specimens are now rare in the wild.

Significance in the country

Havana mahogany went into European palaces, onto warships and into the workshops of the most famous cabinetmakers, and the felling of Cuban forests went on for three centuries. Today caoba is one of the most commonly planted trees in the island’s towns and along its roads.

Where it grows

Remnants of natural forest on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula, in Zapata and in the eastern provinces, among other places; as a planted tree – in avenues and parks throughout the country.

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