Broad leafed Mahogany (HT 2005 146)

Reference ID HT 2005-146	Scientific name: Swietenia macrophylla Family name: Meliaceae Girth: 5.74 m @ 1.3 m height Height: 27.2 m	Location Seletar Airbase, West Camp Road near Singapore Youth Flying Club entrance (near to carpark and gate)
⛔ Please note that this Heritage Tree is in a Protected Place.

The Broad-leafed Mahogany is a large tree that can grow up to 40 m with a dense crown. It bears compound leaves that are glossy and dark green with asymmetric leaflets that are crescent-shaped. Being semi-deciduous in nature, it can lose its leaves during pronounced dry spells but young new leaves quickly open before the old leaves are completely shed. The broad and buttressed trunk has uneven, fissured dark grey bark.

Its flowers are lightly fragrant, pale yellow to greenish in colour and occur in large bunches. The fruit is a distinctive, brown, large and heavy woody pod held upright on its stalk, splitting into five segments to release numerous flat single-winged seeds when mature.

The Broad-leafed Mahogany is a native of Tropical America; it was introduced to Malesia region, which includes Singapore, in 1876 from Honduras. Its timber is valued highly for making furniture, panelling and musical instruments.

These trees were planted during the development of Seletar West Camp in the 1930s to accommodate the British squadrons of torpedo bombers and other land-based aircraft then. Many servicemen have passed beneath their branches, which now shade the passageway to the Singapore Youth Flying Club premises. This Heritage Tree had a girth of 5m when measured in Year 2005.

For more information on this species, please refer to NParks' Flora & Fauna Web profile here.

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📷: Brendon Phuah