Swietenia humilis

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Swietenia humilis
Swietenia humilis en una cerca.jpg
S. humilis in San Luis de la Loma , Guerrero
CITES Appendix II (CITES) [2]
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Meliaceae
Genus: Swietenia
Species:
S. humilis
Binomial name
Swietenia humilis
Caoba.png
Distribution in red

Swietenia humilis is a species of tree in the family Meliaceae. It is one of three species in the genus Swietenia , all three of which are regarded as "genuine mahogany." At 6 metres (20 ft), it is one-fifth the height of S. mahagoni and one-sixth the height of S. macrophylla. Its species name, humilis, means "small" or "dwarfish".

Contents

Common names include Pacific Coast mahogany, caoba del Pacifico, caoba del Honduras, caobilla, cobano, gateado, sopilocuahuilt, venadillo and zapaton. In the wood trades it is known as Honduras mahogany and Mexican mahogany

The tree has been over-exploited for its wood which is valuable for making furniture. The plant also is of interest as a possibly commercial source of seed oil and pharmacologically active compounds.

Example of the finished wood Antique Mahogony.jpg
Example of the finished wood

Distribution and habitat

It is found in the drier zones of the western Sierra Madre mountain range from Mexico through Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador. The distribution in Guatemala and Honduras bulges eastward from the Pacific Coast nearly to the Atlantic Ocean. In Honduras it also extends from the western Sierra Madre into the abutting northern Nicaraguan cordillera range. The northern half of the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica includes habitat. It is found at altitudes up to 1,200 metres (3,900 ft). Its habitat is both wet and dry deciduous forest, savanna, rough scrub, rocky hillsides and cultivated fields. The species having been over-exploited, surviving trees usually are scattered and isolated individuals. Large specimens are rare.

The multilateral treaty CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) lists S. humilis in Appendix II (all parts and derivatives except seeds). [2] It is also categorized in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species as endangered. [1]

Biologically active compounds

Poison

The bark and seeds possess an alkaloid reputed to be very poisonous. Extracts significantly inhibited the growth and feeding of third instar larvae of Tenebrio molitor (mealworms). They also have shown effectiveness against larvae of Ostrinia nubilalis , the European Corn borer, and Spodoptera frugiperda , the Fall Armyworm. [3]

Medicine

The seeds of S. humilis are used in traditional medicine to treat chest pains, coughs, cancer and amoebiasis, and for their anthelmintic properties. Pharmacological studies of the seeds and bark have been ongoing since the 1990s.\

S. humilis Swietenia caoba.jpg
S. humilis

Seed oil

Although the seed is poisonous, the tree shows promise as a source of seed oil with characteristics resembling those of avocado and sunflower oils. The seed germ yields about 45% of edible oil by mass. Of this yield, the fatty acid proportions are about 18% saturated (mainly palmitic and stearic), 30% monounsaturated (mainly oleic), and 48% polyunsaturated (mainly linoleic and linolenic). It also might be of commercial interest as a component of cosmetics and pesticides. [3]

Juvenile S. humilis Caoba joven.jpg
Juvenile S. humilis

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahogany</span> Timber of tropical hardwood species in the genus Swietenia

Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus Swietenia, indigenous to the Americas and part of the pantropical chinaberry family, Meliaceae. Mahogany is used commercially for a wide variety of goods, due to its coloring and durable nature. It is naturally found within the Americas, but has also been imported to plantations across Asia and Oceania. The mahogany trade may have begun as early as the 16th century and flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries. In certain countries, mahogany is considered an invasive species.

<i>Calophyllum inophyllum</i> Species of tree

Calophyllum inophyllum is a large evergreen plant, commonly called tamanu, oil-nut, mastwood, beach calophyllum or beautyleaf. It is native to tropical Asia and Wallacea. Due to its importance as a source of timber for the traditional shipbuilding of large outrigger ships, it has been spread in prehistoric times by the migrations of the Austronesian peoples to the islands of Oceania and Madagascar, along with other members of the genus Calophyllum. It has since been naturalized in regions in the East African coast. It is also a source of the culturally important tamanu oil.

<i>Khaya</i> Genus of trees

Khaya is a genus of five tree species in the mahogany family Meliaceae. The timber of Khaya is called African mahogany, and is valued as a substitute to American mahogany.

<i>Swietenia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the chinaberry family Meliaceae

Swietenia is a genus of trees in the chinaberry family, Meliaceae. It occurs natively in the Neotropics, from southern Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America south to Bolivia. The genus is named for Dutch-Austrian physician Gerard van Swieten (1700–1772). The wood of Swietenia trees is known as mahogany.

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<i>Pinus hartwegii</i> Species of conifer

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<i>Abies guatemalensis</i> Species of conifer

Abies guatemalensis, the Guatemalan fir or pinabete, is an evergreen tree native to Central America and is the southernmost member of the genus Abies being spread to the south lower than 14° N. Its range is from southern Mexico in the north to Honduras and El Salvador in the south. It is a warm-loving and moisture-loving tree of the tropical mountain coniferous and mixed cloud forests of these countries. The Guatemalan fir is an almost completely non-frost-resistant tree. Due to logging and loss of habitat, the tree is considered threatened and is protected in CITES Appendix I.

<i>Swietenia macrophylla</i> Species of plant

Swietenia macrophylla, commonly known as mahogany, Honduran mahogany, Honduras mahogany, or big-leaf mahogany is a species of plant in the Meliaceae family. It is one of three species that yields genuine mahogany timber (Swietenia), the others being Swietenia mahagoni and Swietenia humilis. It is native to South America, Mexico and Central America, but naturalized in the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Hawaii, and cultivated in plantations and wind-breaks elsewhere.

<i>Swietenia mahagoni</i> Species of tree native to South Florida and islands in the Caribbean

Swietenia mahagoni, commonly known as American mahogany, Cuban mahogany, small-leaved mahogany, and West Indian mahogany, is a species of Swietenia native to the broader Caribbean bioregion. It is the species from which the original mahogany wood was produced. Mahogany is grown as a plantation tree and sold in timber markets in Kerala, India. Swietenia mahagoni is listed as "Threatened" in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. It is the national tree of the Dominican Republic.

The Central America bioregion is a biogeographic region comprising southern Mexico and Central America.

<i>Quercus polymorpha</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus polymorpha, the Mexican white oak, Monterrey oak or netleaf white oak, is a North American species of oak. It is widespread in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, and known from a single population in the United States but widely planted as an ornamental.

<i>Salix bonplandiana</i> Species of willow

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<i>Lecythis ampla</i> Species of tree

Lecythis ampla is a species of woody plant in the family Lecythidaceae, which also includes the Brazil nut. Common names include coco, olla de mono, jicaro and salero. It is found in Central and South America. It has been considered an endangered species in Costa Rica.

<i>Quercus castanea</i> Species of oak tree

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flora and fauna of Honduras</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lancetilla Botanical Garden</span> Garden

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jalisco dry forests</span> Tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in Mexico

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Magnolia mexicana, the Mexican magnolia, is a species of magnolia that is found in parts of Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. The flower is known in parts of Mexico as yolloxochitl, an Aztec word that loosely translates to heart-shaped flower. The Mexican magnolia, often described as having a strong beautiful scent, has been used throughout the years for its medicinal properties, as it is said to have similar compounds to that of the Digitalis medication.

<i>Carpinus tropicalis</i> Species of tree

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Cornus excelsa is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood genus (Cornus). It is native to mountain forests of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.

References

  1. 1 2 Barstow, M. (2019). "Swietenia humilis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2019: e.T32954A68104636. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T32954A68104636.en . Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Appendices I, II and III". CITES. Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 Perez-Rubio, V. Heredia, JB. Chaidez-Quiroz, C. Valdez-Torres, JB. Allende-Molar, R. Angulo-Escalante, MA. Physicochemical characterization and fatty acid content of ‘venadillo’ (Swietenia humilis Zucc.) seed oil. African Journal of Biotechnology. Vol 11, No 22 (2012). ISSN   1684-5315