This tropical hardwood is Honduras Mahogany, Swietenia humilis. It is also known as Pacific Coast Mahogany or Mexican Mahogany. It belongs to the mahogany family, Meliaceae, and is closely related to the better-known Bigleaf and West Indian mahoganies.

The species is native mainly to the seasonally dry Pacific coast of Mexico and Central America, extending south into Costa Rica. Unlike mahoganies associated with wetter forests, Swietenia humilis is adapted to dry woodland, rocky slopes and areas with a long annual dry season.

It usually grows as a small to medium-sized tree, although older specimens can become quite substantial. The trunk may be short and divided into heavy branches, producing a broad, irregular crown.

The leaves are compound, with several smooth-edged leaflets arranged in pairs along a central stalk. During a pronounced dry season, the tree may shed much of its foliage, helping it conserve water until rainfall returns.

The flowers are small, pale green or cream-colored and appear in loose branching clusters. They are not especially showy, but insects visit them and assist with pollination.

After flowering, the tree develops large, upright, woody capsules. These fruits gradually turn brown and split into several sections when mature.

Inside are many flat seeds, each carrying a broad papery wing. When the capsule opens high in the crown, the seeds spin or glide away on the wind, allowing them to travel beyond the shade of the parent tree.

The wood is reddish brown, dense, durable and capable of taking a fine polish. Like other true mahoganies, it has been valued for furniture, cabinetry, carving and decorative woodwork.

That valuable timber has also been the tree’s greatest threat. Heavy cutting, land clearance and loss of dry forest have greatly reduced many natural populations. The species is considered endangered and its international trade is regulated under CITES Appendix II.

The name humilis means low-growing or modest, probably distinguishing it from some of the much taller mahogany species. Even so, a mature tree can still become an impressive feature of a tropical landscape.

Honduras Mahogany therefore tells two connected stories. Its compound leaves, winged seeds and valuable reddish wood identify it as a true mahogany, while its declining wild populations remind us of the cost of treating a slow-growing forest tree only as timber.

When fruit is present, the best feature to point out is the upright woody capsule. As it opens, it reveals an ingenious wind-dispersal system hidden inside what first appears to be a solid wooden fruit.