Khaya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Khaya | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Khaya senegalensis in habitat | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Meliaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cedreloideae |
| Genus: | Khaya A.Juss. |
| Species | |
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See text | |
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 (of the genus Swietenia).[1]
The genus is native to tropical Africa across various countries from Senegal to Sudan to Uganda, as well as Madagascar. All species grow to around 13–30 m tall, rarely 45 m, with a trunk over 1 m diameter, often buttressed at the base.[2]
The leaves are pinnate, with 3-7 pairs of leaflets and the terminal leaflet absent; each leaflet is 8–17 cm long and 7 cm wide.[3] The leaves can be either deciduous or evergreen depending on the species. The flowers are produced in loose inflorescences, each flower small, with four or five yellowish petals and ten stamens. The fruit is a globose four or five-valved capsule 5–8 cm diameter, containing numerous winged seeds.[citation needed]
