Photograph by Adalberto. H. Vega

As well as producing some of the most beautiful wood on the planet, Swietenia mahagoni, otherwise known as "West Indies Mahogany" is also one of the most stunning trees found in the tropics.

Native primarily to the Southern United States and the Caribbean, West Indies Mahogany is of course one of the materials behind many of our fabulous beds, wardrobes and chests.

Although Mahogany is also made out of two other trees (King and Zucc), it is West Indies Mahogany that takes our interest this month.

One of the most interesting facts about the tree is that unlike most species, that were discovered thousands of years ago, S. Mahagoni was first recorded in the year 1514 in the Dominican Republic.

In fact the recording itself was carved into a rough-hewn cross at the Catedral de Santa Maria La Menor (the oldest church in the West Indies). If you were to travel to the cathedral today, you will still see the engraving, as the wood is as perfectly persevered as the day that the carving was made.

Records from the 1520s' onwards report the wood being used by Spanish explorers throughout the West Indies for the use of canoes and other repair work; the most significant use of which being the repair of Sir Walter Raleigh’s ships in 1597.

Before long, Mahogany, along with Cedar, became one of the primary materials used to construct ships for the Spanish Navy, thus helping the country become one of the most powerful nations on Earth; a dominance that lasted around two hundred years.

Mahogany also became useful during the Second World War where it was used in the construction of small boats for the US Navy, one of which was captained by future President, John F. Kennedy. His ship even stayed afloat for a period of twelve hours after being directly rammed by a Japanese destroyer.

In fact Mahogany has been used in shipbuilding right up until 1966; the same year that England won the World Cup.

Today however, instead of being used for military purposes, we now use mahogany primarily for the beautiful furniture which we find in our homes.

Unsurprisingly, due to its beauty, the material has in fact been used for furniture from the off; some of which can still be found from the period of the Spanish Renaissance.

Despite its huge popularity in Spain and the West Indies however, mahogany did not break into the mainstream as a furniture material until late in the 18th century, when it had to compete against the likes of domestic oak and walnut; the very first S. Mahogani cabinet was introduced to the UK in 1724.

Thankfully, it was not the last.