Mahogany Family

Three new dolabellanes (24-26) were isolated from the wood of Trichilia trifolia (family Meliaceae, mahogany family ) collected in Yucatan, Mexico... 

Meliacem or Mahogany Family.— Tropical trees or shrubs with wood often hard, colored and odoriferous. Leaves alternate, ex-... 

There can be no doubt that interest in the mahogany family (Meliaceae) was spurred by the development of natural insecticides from the Indian neem tree, Azadirachta indica A. Juss. This species and its commercial utility has been the subjeet of several international conferences, hundreds of research papers, and at least a dozen major volumes. This interest was manifest in the eollection and sereening of more than 100 species from the family for insect bioactivity, with particular emphasis on the genera Aglaia and Trichilia. Even before this, attention had turned to members of the genus most closely related to neem, Melia, namely the Asian chinaberry tree M. azedarach L. and the East African M volkensii Gurke. 

Nevada, and southwestern Utah). The two species are closely related taxonomically, with both belonging to the same subfamily (Melioideae) and tribe (Melleae) In the family Mellaceae (mahogany family) (7-9T Recent phytochemical studies have also Illustrated the close similarities which exist between their secondary metabolites, especially with regard to their insecticidal tetranortrlterpenokJ limonoid constituents (mellaclns) (7-11). 

A tropical family with a few subtropical representatives, the Me-liaceae yield lumber, including mahogany, and some ornamentals. 

Mahogany is any of the hardwoods in the family Meliaceae. These trees are found in the Caribbean, Central and South America, Asia, and Africa. The wood resists termite attack, is easy to work, and has a beautiful reddish hue when polished. Its water resistance made it attractive to ship builders, who used it whenever it was available in sufficient amounts. 

The genera in the family of Meliaceae (Table 1) include mangrove and different types of mahogany. 

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