Persea borbonia. a. Branch with flowers, b. Bud. c. Flower, d. Anther, e. Branch with fruit. Drawn by Vivian Frazier. From Correll and Correll 1972.

Carolina, Catesby said, “The wood is fine-grain’ed, and of excellent use for Cabinets, etc. I have seen some of the best of this Wood selected, that has resembled Water’d Sattin, and has exceeded in Beauty any other Kind of Wood I ever saw.” Sargent (1905) wrote that the wood was “heavy, hard, very strong, rather brittle, close-grained, bright red.” The wood has been used from at least the time of Catesby for cabinets, and also on the interior finish of houses. Formerly, it was used in ship-and boatbuilding. Comparing its wood to mahogany with “Florida mahogany” is high praise indeed.