Abstract
Swietenia macrophylla King – a valuable tropical timber species produce seeds in small quantity with annual variations. Despite of approximately 126-210 flowers per inflorescence, only one to two fruits develop generally. The reasons are not known. We, therefore, had undertaken a detailed study on the structure and development of flowers and fruits and pollination mechanism for the first time. Results showed that mahogany is monoecious with unisexual flowers borne on the same inflorescence in the ratio of 2 male: 1 female. The period between floral initiation and fruit maturity was 8½ months. Flower drop, heavy immature fruit fall within a fortnight after fertilization and the insect, Hypsipyla robusta infestation during early stages of development are the main causes for low seed production in mahogany