A hard, red or yellow-brown wood which takes a high polish and is extensively used for furniture and cabinetwork. The West Indies mahogany tree (Swietenia mahagoni), a native of tropical regions in North and South America, is a large evergreen tree with smooth pinnate leaves. Together with other species it yields the world's most valuable cabinet wood. In the United States it occurs naturally only in the extreme southern tip of Florida, but it is planted elsewhere in the state as an ornamental and shade tree.