mahogany family

mahogany family
the plant family Meliaceae, characterized by tropical and subtropical trees and shrubs having alternate, pinnate leaves, usually branched clusters of flowers, and fruit in the form of a berry or leathery capsule, and including the chinaberry, cedars of the genus Cedrela, and mahoganies of the genera Swietenia and Khaya.

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Family Meliaceae (order Sapindales), composed of 575 species in 51 genera of trees and (rarely) shrubs native to tropical and subtropical regions.

Trees of the genus Swietenia and Entandrophragma, commonly called mahogany, and of the genus Cedrela (especially the cigar-box cedar, C. odorata) are economically important timber trees. The China tree (Melia azedarach), also called chinaberry, bead tree, and Persian lilac, is an ornamental Asian tree with fragrant, lilac-coloured flowers and attractive but poisonous round yellow fruits, often cultivated in tropical and warm temperate areas. Most members of the family have large compound leaves and branched flower clusters. A few have edible fruits.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • mahogany family — noun tropical trees and shrubs including many important timber and ornamental trees • Syn: ↑Meliaceae, ↑family Meliaceae • Hypernyms: ↑rosid dicot family • Member Holonyms: ↑Geraniales, ↑order Geraniales …   Useful english dictionary

  • Mahogany (disambiguation) — Mahogany refers to dark colored wood from various types of tree. Mahogany may also refer to: Contents 1 Botany and forestry 2 Computers 3 Media 4 People …   Wikipedia

  • mahogany — [mə häg′ə nē, məhôg′ə nē] n. pl. mahoganies [earlier mohogeney < ?] 1. a) any of a genus (Swietenia) of tropical trees of the mahogany family, with dark, heavy heartwood b) the wood of any of these trees; esp., the hard, reddish brown to… …   English World dictionary

  • Mahogany — This article is about the timber. For other uses, see Mahogany (disambiguation). Honduras mahogany The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood… …   Wikipedia

  • mahogany tree — noun any of various tropical timber trees of the family Meliaceae especially the genus Swietinia valued for their hard yellowish to reddish brown wood that is readily worked and takes a high polish • Syn: ↑mahogany • Hypernyms: ↑tree • Hyponyms:… …   Useful english dictionary

  • mahogany — noun (plural nies) Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1660 1. the wood of any of various chiefly tropical trees (family Meliaceae, the mahogany family): a. (1) the durable yellowish brown to reddish brown usually moderately hard and heavy wood of a… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • family Meliaceae — noun tropical trees and shrubs including many important timber and ornamental trees • Syn: ↑Meliaceae, ↑mahogany family • Hypernyms: ↑rosid dicot family • Member Holonyms: ↑Geraniales, ↑order Geraniales …   Useful english dictionary

  • family — /fam euh lee, fam lee/, n., pl. families, adj. n. 1. parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not. 2. the children of one person or one couple collectively: We want a large family. 3. the spouse and children …   Universalium

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