Is toon wood the same as mahogany?

No — toon (Toona ciliata) is sometimes called Indian mahogany for its reddish, similarly workable wood, but it's a different genus from true mahogany (Swietenia).

Why does it lose its leaves?

It's deciduous, shedding its leaves during the dry season before flushing new pinnate foliage at the start of the rains.

✿Meliaceae · Toona

Toon / Sandal Neem

Toona ciliata

Also known as Toon Tree, Red Cedar, Moulmin Cedar, The Toon Tree, Indian Mahogany Tree, Australian Redcendar

Tree

Habit: Tree
Found in India: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttarakhand & more
Flowering: March-October

Identify this plant with SASYA

How to identify Toon

Identify Toon by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.

Look for a tree habit.
Check the distinctive field mark: Aromatic reddish timber (red cedar/toon).
Confirm leaf type: Pinnately compound (leaflets in rows along a stalk).
Confirm flower colour: White.
Confirm fruit type: Capsule.
In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: March-October.
In India, compare location records such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and nearby regions.

Plant Details

Scientific name: Toona ciliata
Genus: Toona
Family: Meliaceae
Habit: Tree
Habitat: Semi-evergreen and Evergreen forests
Habitat type: Forest
Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar, Nepal, Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, Australia, Africa
Found in India: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Assam, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Chandigarh, Mizoram, Punjab, Kerala, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir
Flowering & fruiting: March-October
Conservation status: Least Concern (LC)

Leaf characters

Leaf type: Pinnately compound (leaflets in rows along a stalk)recorded

Typical of the family

Arrangement: Alternate
Margin: Entire
Venation: Pinnate

Characters marked “recorded” are for Toon itself; the rest are typical of the Meliaceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower colour: Whiterecorded“The tree produces masses of white flowers that are very small and tubular in shape.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fruit type: CapsulerecordedA dry fruit from a fused ovary that splits open at maturity to release seeds.“The fruits are green capsules which senesces to a brown colour and tear open into star shape to release seeds, which are small and winged.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Flower symmetry: Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
Inflorescence: Panicle
Fruit: Capsule

Characters marked “recorded” are for Toon itself; the rest are typical of the Meliaceae family — flowering plants only.

Local Names

Hindi: Toon तून,टुन tun
Nepali: टुनी Tunee, टुनी
Bengali: Tun
Tamil: துந் மரம் Tun Maram
Telugu: నందివృక్షము, నంది వృక్షము, నందిచెట్టు
Kannada: ಗಂಧಗರಿಗೆ Gandhagarige, ಗಂಧಗರಗೆ Gandhagarage, ನೊಗೆ Noge
Malayalam: Vempu, ചന്ദനവേമ്പ്, Toona ciliata
Marathi: Kunant

Toon in India

This deciduous tree, known as Toon तून (Hindi), துந் மரம் Tun Maram (Tamil), నందివృక్షము (Telugu), ಗಂಧಗರಿಗೆ Gandhagarige (Kannada), Vempu (Malayalam), Kunant (Marathi), is valued for its reddish, easily worked timber. Toona ciliata is found across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Maharashtra, Assam, typically in moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forest.

Uses

Its reddish, fine-grained wood — sometimes called Indian mahogany — is used for furniture, plywood and carving, and the tree is also planted for shade and timber plantations.

How to Identify Toon

A tall deciduous tree with large pinnate compound leaves clustered near the branch tips. Small, fragrant, pale flowers hang in loose drooping clusters, followed by woody capsules that split into several parts, releasing winged seeds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Sandal Neem called in different Indian languages?: Toon तून (Hindi); துந் மரம் Tun Maram (Tamil); నందివృక్షము (Telugu); ಗಂಧಗರಿಗೆ Gandhagarige (Kannada); Vempu (Malayalam); Kunant (Marathi); Tun (Bengali).
Is toon wood the same as mahogany?: No — toon (Toona ciliata) is sometimes called Indian mahogany for its reddish, similarly workable wood, but it's a different genus from true mahogany (Swietenia).
Why does it lose its leaves?: It's deciduous, shedding its leaves during the dry season before flushing new pinnate foliage at the start of the rains.

Botanical family

Meliaceae

Mahogany/Neem family

Toon belongs to the Meliaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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Common plant problems

If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.

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More in Meliaceae

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Sources: GBIF — Toona ciliata (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Toona ciliata (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)