CAOBA TREE

DESCRIPTION

The mahogany tree has a distinctive appearance in the field. The adult trees are usually very
corpulent, measuring more than one meter in diameter at breast height. Its shaft is straight and
has buttresses at the base that in some cases reach more than 2 meters in height. Its branches
have a robust appearance whose bark color hardly varies in relation to that of the shaft. The
crown is shiny in its general appearance.

In addition, the leaves are usually shiny and the asymmetrical shape of the leaflets can be
distinguished.

The fruits of these trees are erect, grayish to reddish in color and measure more than 10 cm
long, which makes them very conspicuous. They are placed at the ends of the twigs; when the
fruits fall, they remain open at the foot of the tree, which helps in their identification. Finally, it
has small fruits and no significant buttress, so it can hardly be confused with this species in the
field.

PARTS OF THE TREE (PLANT)

Tree up to 25 meters high, with a straight trunk up to 1.5 meters in diameter at breast height,
with well-formed buttresses, the crown is leafy, open fan-shaped; small yellowish-green
flowers, blooms from May to June; the fruits are woody capsules, ovoid reddish-brown color of
12 to 18 cm. long and 8 cm. wide.

BENEFITS

The seeds of humilis are used in traditional medicine to treat pectoral problems, colds, coughs,
and even cancer due to their anthelmintic properties. The pharmaceutical industry has been
studying the seeds since 1990.

Despite their toxicity, the seeds show positive qualities that are close to those of avocado and
sunflower oil. The germinated seed yields up to 45% of its weight in oil. From this production,
18% of saturated fatty acids (mainly palmitic and stearic) and 30% of polyunsaturated fatty
acids (basically linoleic and linoleic) are obtained. The seeds, in addition, arouse much
commercial interest in terms of the possible application that its components may have both in
cosmetics and in its use as a pesticide.

PERIOD AND METHOD OF HARVESTING

Harvesting consists of cutting between 20 and 30% of the tree population in each cutting cycle
from the fifth year after planting. The first cut will provide wood for firewood, posts or beams
for rural use; then the harvest will take place when the trees thicken the stem (trunk) and reach
the commercial volume of wood. The greatest volume of wood is obtained up to 30 years of
age; however, early harvesting is possible. Trees and timber are cut with a chainsaw; an axe and
machete are used to cut thin branches.

Harvesting begins 2-3 years after planting, that is, when the mahogany is 7-8 years old. From
this moment on and during the following 8-10 years, the palm is harvested every three to four
months. The leaves should be cut with pruning shears, preferably of a uniform size and of good
quality, discarding those that are stained or perforated.

NATURAL FERTILIZER

Banana peels are one of the most popular for use as fertilizer in your fruit trees, because of the
great contribution of nutrients it can have in your orchards with 42% potassium and 25%
phosphorus. Among other nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and sulfur.