This mahogany grows in Florida, Cuba, and the Caribbean area in general. The most common of the common names of this wood is Cuban mahogany. Swietenia mahagoni tends to be a darker reddish brown than Swietenia macrophylla, but the color and density are affected by the specific conditions in the area of growth, so there are no absolutes.

This is the original mahogany that was imported to Europe starting in the 1600's. Famous furniture builders Thomas Sheraton, Thomas Chippendale, and Duncan Phyfe used Cuban mahogany for their fine furniture and it was widely considered among the finest woods available for furniture. I think cabinet-maker Gene Wengert has expressed best what followed:

When mahogany in Cuba and the Caribbean began to run out, logging operations were moved to Mexico and other areas and at first it wasn't even known that what was being harvested there (Swietenia macrophylla) was not quite the same wood. SO ... although it was the first and best of the mahoganies, Cuban mahogany really isn't part of the scene any longer. Because it was the first and best, I have always thought that it, rather than Swietenia macrophylla, should have the honor of the names "true" and "genuine" mahogany, but I don't get to make the rules, I just report on them as best I can.

I also note that it is impossible (as far as I am aware) to distinguish between Swietenia mahagoni and Swietenia macrophylla with nothing but a 10X loupe.

Further information, also from Gene Wengert:

As to the spelling of the specific epithet, since Linnaeus and the other early botanists who named the various species all used "mahagoni", and that use continues in scholarly articles and at university sites, it seems clear to me that that is the "correct" spelling, BUT ... I'm a believer in the evolution of language and these days the bastardized spelling "mahogani" is far more widely used so you are most likely to see it that way despite the fact that it is technically incorrect. It is understandable how that bastardization came about since "mahagoni" just SOUNDS wrong (muh-HAG-un-I) and "mahogani" sounds right (muh-HOG-uh-nee).

This mahogany grows throughout mainland Central and South America. The most common of the many common names for this species is Honduras/Honduran mahogany, but it is also called in many cases by its country of origin, such as Nicaraguan, Mexican, etc. Swietenia macrophylla tends to be slightly more orange than Swietenia mahagoni, but the color and density are affected by the specific conditions in the area of growth, so there are no absolutes.

This is a species that is lumped in with Swietenia macrophylla as "Honduran mahogany" because of similarity of characteristics and some overlap of growth range but it is a small and often twisted tree limited to seasonally dry forests in Pacific Central America and is not much used as a commercial timber and thus not much available in the USA. I have only one sample and find relatively few pics of the wood on the Internet so have basically ignored it on the wood ID site and in the name discussion on this page. Just take it that anywhere you see Swietenia macrophylla, it includes Swietenia humilis but you're not likely to encounter Swietenia humilis.

The Khaya species sold as African mahogany are part of the mahogany family, but are separate from the Swietenia species of the Americas. The Khaya species tend to be lighter in color, generally more of a salmon/pink in tint, than the Swietenia species, but the color and density are affected by the specific conditions in the area of growth, so there are no absolutes. The differences between the Khaya species and the Swietenia species are mainly in the external characteristics (leaves, fruit, etc) not in the wood although it is sometimes possible to distinguish between the two with only a 10X loupe by virtue of the fact that the marginal parenchyma lines in the Swietenias are always continuous whereas in the the Khayas they can usually be seen to be strong and then peter out to nothing, sometimes over quite a short distance.

The primary species sold as African mahogany is Khaya ivorensis and that is most likely what you will get if you buy any, but there are several others. The full list, nearly as I can tell, is below, and keep in mind I'm only listing a couple of the many dozens of common names these species all have. Most of these have numerous names that include "mahogany" or "khaya" or "acajou" (or all of these), sometimes with a country of origin.

• Khaya anthotheca: acajou, caoba, African mahogany
• Khaya caudata: African mahogany
• Khaya grandifoliola: acajou, African mahogany, big-leaf khaya, caoba, heavy African mahogany
• Khaya ivorensis: acajou, African mahogany, caoba del Gabon, red khaya
• Khaya klainei: acajou, African mahogany
• Khaya madagascariensis: acajou de Madagascar
• Khaya nyasica: acajou, red African mahogany
• Khaya senegalensis: acajou blanc, African mahogany, dry-zone African mahogany, heavy African mahogany