African Mahogany, Khaya (Khaya ivorenis, K. Senegalensis) is, strictly speaking, not a real Mahogany like it's South American relatives from the Swietenia family, but at least both woods belong to the Melaice family. It's attractive appearance, good qualities and popularity are so great that it's often seen as real mahogany in distinction to Sipo, Sapeli or other woods and has found its firm place in the trade. Khaya often grows into gigantic trees, so that large widths and lengths are available in very good quality. The wood is medium-hard and heavy, has a very good stamina and shines with very lively colours. Khaya mahogany is initially yellowish-pink after cutting, darkens quickly under the influence of light to an intense reddish brown and is then quite colour stable. Often the wood is interlocked and after a good surface treatment it produces very beautiful deep grains with a strong lustre effect. The pyramid veneers, obtained from branch forks in the braid of the main trunk and which still belong to the classic mahogany grains, are in great demand for high-quality and expensive interior finishing.
