Tropical Trees

Tree	Scientific Name	Height (m)	Lifespan	Native Region	Climate Suitability	Wood Use	Other Uses	Cultural Importance	Special Feature	Environmental Role
Banyan	Ficus benghalensis	20-25	200-300 yrs	South Asia	Humid, Subtropical	Not commercial	Medicinal; shade	Sacred in Hinduism	Spreads through aerial roots	Prevents soil erosion
Coconut Palm	Cocos nucifera	20-30	80-90 yrs	Tropical Asia	Warm, Coastal	Not used widely	Edible fruits; oil; coir	Used in rituals across Asia	Grows on saline soils	Provides coastal stability
Mango	Mangifera indica	10-30	100-200 yrs	Indian Subcontinent	Tropical, Subtropical	Medium-hard wood	Fruits; jams; pickles	National tree of Bangladesh	Fruit known as “king of fruits”	Provides shade and habitat
Neem	Azadirachta indica	15-25	150-200 yrs	Indian Subcontinent	Hot, Arid	Medium-hard timber	Medicinal; pest repellent	Known as the “Village Pharmacy”	Resistant to drought	Purifies air; pest control
Teak	Tectona grandis	20-40	100-150 yrs	South and Southeast Asia	Humid, Tropical	High-value hardwood	Furniture; boats	Used in royal architecture	High oil content in wood	High-value timber species
Jackfruit	Artocarpus heterophyllus	15-20	100+ yrs	South and Southeast Asia	Humid, Warm	Medium-density wood	Edible fruit; seeds; leaves	Popular in traditional cuisines	Largest tree-borne fruit	Provides food for wildlife
Cashew	Anacardium occidentale	10-15	50-60 yrs	Brazil	Tropical, Coastal	Not used widely	Edible nuts; resin; oil	Valued for its economic benefits	Produces “cashew apples”	Fixes nitrogen in soil
Mahogany	Swietenia mahagoni	30-40	200+ yrs	Americas	Tropical, Humid	Premium hardwood	Furniture; musical instruments	Icon of quality furniture worldwide	Deep reddish-brown wood	Supports biodiverse ecosystems
Rubber Tree	Hevea brasiliensis	15-25	100 yrs	Amazon Basin	Tropical, Rainy	Softwood, not durable	Latex for rubber production	Revolutionized the rubber industry	Sap produces natural rubber	Absorbs large amounts of CO2
Ebony	Diospyros spp.	15-25	150-200 yrs	Asia, Africa	Warm, Tropical	Hard, black timber	Fine furniture; carvings	Used in ancient and modern art	Dense black heartwood	Carbon sequestration