African Mahogany, Senegal Mahogany, Dry Zone Mahogany
Scientific Name : Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss.
Common Name : African Mahogany, Senegal Mahogany, Dry Zone Mahogany
Chinese Name : 非洲楝, 塞內加爾楝, 非洲桃花心木, 仙加樹
Family : MELIACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species
Anecdotes on plants
| Origins |
Tropical Africa and Madagascar. |
| Meanings of names |
Since the wood grain of the African Mahogany is elegant, its heartwood often rippled in pink like peach blossoms, it was given the name “African Peach-flower-heart Wood (非洲桃花心木)” in Chinese. However, excessive logging has shrunk its natural population into an unfavourable situation. This has led to the species being listed as a vulnerable species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
The species epithet “senegalensis” in its scientific name means “Senegalese”, referring to the aforementioned country in West Africa. Hence, the species is also known as “Senegal Mahogany”. |
| Applications |
African Mahogany is a common street tree in Hong Kong and is also widely cultivated in the provinces of South China. The leaves can be used as stock feed, while the timber can be applied as construction materials. The species can also be used as medicine, with scientific researches revealed that African Mahogany has therapeutic functions including anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic and anti-tumour. |
Traits for identification
| Growing habit |
Evergreen tree. |
| Height |
To 25 m. |
| Stems |
Bark of trunk brownish grey, cracked in scales. |
| Leaves |
Evenly pinnate. Crowded towards apex of branches. Leaflets 6 to 16, oblong to elliptic, apex rounded and mucronate, dark green adaxially and pale green abaxially. |
| Flowers |
White. Sepals 4, petals 4, both distinct. Petals oblong to elliptic. Staminal tube urceolate, with a red nectar disc inside, like a teapot sitting on the petals. |
| Fruits |
Capsule, globose, dehiscing into 4 values when mature. Pericarp woody and thick. |
| Seeds |
Elliptic to suborbicular, margin membranous and winged. |
| Flowering period |
April to June in Hong Kong. |
| Fruiting period |
April to June in Hong Kong. |
Remarks
Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website : https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=9584
Scientific names from other databases
― Flora of China : Khaya senegalensis (Desrousseaux) A. Jussieu
― Plants of the World Online : Khaya senegalensis (Desv.) A.Juss.
Reference
- Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). (2018). A Photographic Guide to Common Urban Trees of Hong Kong. 3rd edition. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong. ISBN: 978-988-12021-3-0.
- Androulakis, X., Muga, S., Chen, F., Koita, Y., Toure, B., & Wargovich, M. (2006). Chemopreventive effects of Khaya senegalensis bark extract on human colorectal cancer. Anticancer Research, 26(3B), 2397-2405.
- Beentjie, H. (2016). The Kew Plant Glossary. 2nd edition, 1st in 2012. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanical Garden, Surrey, U.K. ISBN: 978-1-84246-604-9.
- eFloras. (2008). Khaya senegalensis (Desrousseaux) A. Jussieu. Flora of China. [Online Edition]. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 15th April 2020, from: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=220007095
- Hong Kong Herbarium, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department & South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. (2007-2011). Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss. 非洲楝. Flora of Hong Kong. [Online Edition]. Retrieved 15th April 2020, from: https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/FloraOfHK/Species/9584/9584_S_E.pdf
- Judd, W. S., Campbell, C. S., Kellogg, E. A. & Stevens, P. F. (1999). Plant Systematics. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Sunderland, USA. ISBN: 0-87893-404-9
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre. (1998). Khaya senegalensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 8th May 2020, from: http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T32171A9684583.en
- Zhang, H., Wang, X., Chen, F., Androulakis, X. & Wargovich, M. (2007). Anticancer activity of limonoid from Khaya senegalensis. Phytotherapy Research, 21(8), 731-734.
- 中國科學院仙湖植物園。（2012）。《深圳植物誌》（第3卷）。北京 : 中國林業出版社。國際標準書號 : 978-7-5038-6828-3。
- 中國科學院植物誌編輯委員會。（1959-2004）。〈楝科Meliaceae Juss.〉。《中國植物誌》。[網上版本]。於2020年5月8日擷取自 : http://www.iplant.cn/info/Meliaceae?t=z
- 中國科學院植物誌編輯委員會。（1959-2004）。〈非洲楝Khaya senegalensis (Desr.) A. Juss.〉。《中國植物誌》。[網上版本]。於2020年4月15日擷取自 : http://www.iplant.cn/info/Khaya%20senegalensis?t=z
Tree Labels with QR Codes
