Origin of Sky Fruit

Origin of Sky Fruit

The Big-leafed Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) is a member of the genus Meliaceae. It produces a fruit which we now know as Sky Fruit. The main purpose of the fruit was to be germinated and then planted in place of trees which were commercially harvested. It was discovered by the natives that the fruit contained healing properties. Mahogany is the most valuable furniture timber in the world. With the big-leafed Mahogany producing one of the finest woods in the world.
The beautiful hardwood obtained from mahogany trees has been in high demand for centuries. Particularly in the making of furniture and musical instruments. Big-leaf mahogany has now replaced Caribbean (S. mahagoni) and Honduras mahogany (S. humilis) as the most commercially important member of the genus, following the commercial extinction of the latter two species as a result of over-exploitation. The big-leafed Mahogany tree when matured can stand as high as 60 meters (195 feet) with a diameter of around 1.8 meters (6 feet). A single tree can produce up to 200 fruits per year about 4 Kg of seeds. With each fruit containing approximately 35-71 matured seeds. There are approximately 1800-2500 seeds per Kg. The development of flower to mature fruit takes 9-12 months. Fruit that are ready for harvest are harvested from the tree before it splits open and drops to the ground.