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Family: Meliaceae (mahoganies) Life
> eukaryotes >
Archaeoplastida >
Chloroplastida
>
Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants)
> Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants)
> Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering
plants) > Eudicotyledons > Core Eudicots > Rosids > Eurosid II > Order: Sapindales
Fifty-two genera and 621 species, mainly tropical in
distribution. Nine genera and 21 species native to southern Africa, an additional
three genera and three species are naturalised, and an additional eight genera and
10 species are cultivated in the region.
Genera native to southern Africa
List from Archer (2000).
Ekebergia
The four species are native to Africa, with three native to southern Africa. |
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Entandrophragma
About 11
species, native to Africa, with two species native to southern Africa and
a further species, Entandrophragma utile (Sapele mahogany),
cultivated in the region. |
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Khaya (African mahoganies)
About seven species, native to tropical Africa and Madagascar.
Khaya
anthotheca [= Khaya nyasica] is native to Zimbabwe. Khaya senegalensis
(Senegal mahogany) is cultivated in the region but is not naturalised. |
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Lovoa
Two species distributed in tropical Africa, of which one Lovoa
swynnertonii is native to southern Africa (Zimbabwe and Mozambique). |
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Nymania
The only species, Nymania
capensis (Chinese lanterns), is endemic to southern Africa. |
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Pseudobersama
One species,
Pseudobersama mossambicensis,
native to tropical and subtropical East Africa, extending as far south as
northern KwaZulu-Natal. |
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Trichilia
About 85
species, native to tropics and subtropics (mainly America), with three species native to southern Africa. |
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Turraea
About 50 species, native to Africa, Madagascar, the
Mascarenes and the Comores, with eight species native to southern Africa. |
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Xylocarpus
One species native to southern Africa - Xylocarpus granatum. |
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Genera naturalised in southern Africa
List from Archer (2000).
Cedrela
About eight species,
native to the Neotropics. West Indian Cedar
Cedrela odorata (native
from Mexico to Ecuador) is grown as a timber tree in southern Africa and has
become naturalised. |
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Melia
About 3-5 species,
native from India to China, SE Asia, and Australia.
Melia azedarach (Seringa
or Persina Lilac) (see
Flora of Zimbabwe) is widely grown in
southern African parks and gardens (despite the fruit being highly toxic),
and has become naturalised and a weed in many places (mainly savanna,
roadsides, urban spaces, wasteland and along river banks). |
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Toona
About six species,
native from Indomalaysian region through to northern Australia.
Toona
ciliata (Toon tree,
Toonboom) has been grown as a timber and ornamental tree in southern
Africa and has become naturalised in the eastern region. It is a
declared Category 3 invader plant
in South Africa. |
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Other genera, cultivated in southern Africa
List from Glen (2002). Each of these genera are only
represented by one species in southern Africa, so the species are listed
instead.
Aphanamixis polystachya
Native from India to the Philippines. |
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Azadirachta indica (Neem,
Margosa)
Native to Burma. See
Wikipedia |
,--,-Pemba,-Mozambique-Dec-2006s,.jpg) |
Carapa procera (Uganda crabwood)
Native to tropical Africa. |
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Chukrasia tabularis (Indian
mahogany)
Native from Sri Lanka to China. |
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Dysoxylum parasiticum
Native to New Guinea. See
PNGTrees |
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Lovoa swynnertonii (False
sapele)
Native to tropical Africa. |
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Owenia acidula (Emu apple, Sour
plum)
Native to eastern Australia. |
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Swietenia mahagoni (Spanish
mahogany, West Indian mahogany)
Native to the USA (Florida), The Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica and Hispaniola. |
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Publications
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Archer, R.H. 2000. Meliaceae. In: Seed Plants of Southern
Africa (ed. O.A. Leistner). Strelitzia 10: 353-356. National
Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
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Glen, H.F. 2002. Cultivated Plants of Southern Africa.
Jacana, Johannesburg.
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