Bwa-yo - Société Audubon Haiti

48 Kajou Peyi...Kajou Etranje
Figure 6.2 Five-parted seed capsules
are a characteristic feature of Switetenia.
The capsules ofS. macrophylla,
shown here, are larger than those ofS.
mahagoni.
S. macrophylla occurs naturally from the
Yucatan in Mexico to Brazil. It is a lowland
species, most frequently found from sea level to
450 m.
In Haiti, S. mahagoni is common at elevations
of 100-500 m, mostly inhabiting the drier
hillsides where it is better adapted than the
introduced S. macrophylla. Soils are mostly
calcareous and annual rainfall ranges from
800-2000 mm with a 2-3 month winter
drought. The seed capsules fully ripen during
the dry season, with the winged seed dispersed
widely by the winds.
Pure and dense stands ofthe species occur
rarely, observed only in areas of the Plateau
Central where the species is very common.
Typically, the species is scattered as isolated
trees across the agricultural landscape and
occurs in remnant populations. In the drier
habitats of the Northwest, commonly associated
species are bwa blan (Phyllostylon
brasilense), divi-divi (Caesalpinea coriaria),
bwa kapab (Colubrina arborescens) and gayak
(Guaiacum sp.). In the moist forest, associates are sed (Cedrela odorata), bwa doti
(Petitia domingensis), chenn (Catalpa longissima) and bwa pIe (Colubrina
arborescens).
S. macrophylla was introduced into Haiti during the 1940s by SHADA
(Societe Hai·tienne-Americaine pour le Developpement Agricole) at Bayeux, on the
northern coast, and at Franklin, in the southwest (Fig. 6.3). Since that time, it has been
Figure 6.3 One of the original S. macrophylla stands at Franklin, about 40 years after
its introduction to Haiti.