The outline of the stump suggests it is not mahogany, also the amount of
sapwood. Cannot really see the leaves in this picture, but in mahogany they
are not "star" shaped (a more common term is umbrella-shaped).

What happens when you put some wood chips in (hot) water or alcohol?
PvR

TheCutter schreef
I'm trying to identify this tree, and am asking for your help.

This photo was taking in the US Virgin Islands two weeks ago. The wood
is dense and heavy. It is light - sandy colored when cut, and then
turns an orange-ish red after oxidation. The buttressed stump brings
to mind cypress, but the leaves are oval shaped. If I recall
correctly, there are five or so leaves per stem, arranged in a
star-like shape.

A picture is he http://www.northwindknives.com/images/caneel/wood.jpg
and while the image just shows the stump, you can also see the leaves
from the suckers coming up next to it.

The groundskeeper where this was taken seemed to think it was a
screwpine, but from what I can tell of pictures on the Internet, it's
not even close.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-=Mark