''Cecropia peltata'' is a fast-growing tree in the genus '' Cecropia''. Common names include trumpet tree, trumpet-bush, bacano and snakewood. It is listed as one of the world's 100 worst invasive alien species.

Description

''Cecropia peltata'' is a fast-growing tree, normally reaching , but occasionally growing up to tall. The leaves are large – in length and width, but more commonly about 20 × and palmately divided into 7–11 (but generally 8–10) lobed. The upper surfaces of the leaves are scaled, while the lower surfaces are covered with minute hair, interspersed with longer ones. The petioles are generally long, while the branches are green and covered with short, stiff hairs. Like other members of the genus, ''C. peltata'' is dioecious – there are separate male and female plants. Male flowers, which are long, are borne in spikes long. The male inflorescence is enclosed in a spathe which splits open and drops off once the anthers mature. The female flowers are borne in paired spikes long. The fruit, which is about long, is an

achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not ope ...

which is enclosed in a fleshy jacket which forms from the perianth.

Taxonomy

The species was described by Carl Linnaeus in the 1759 edition of ''

Systema Naturae ' (originally in Latin written ' with the ligature æ) is one of the major works of the Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) and introduced the Linnaean taxonomy. Although the system, now known as binomial nomen ...

''. It was the first species to be described in the genus and was originally applied to many species of '' Cecropia''. As additional species were described, the usage narrowed. The genus was placed in the family Urticaceae by Adolf Engler in 1889. E. J. H. Corner suggested moving the genus to the Urticaceae in 1962, while Cornelis Berg placed ''Cecropia'' in its own family, the Cecropiaceae. Based on molecular data, the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group merged the family back into the Urticaceae.

Distribution

''Cecropia peltata'' ranges from southern Mexico through Central America to northern South America, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica, and has been introduced in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. The species has been listed as one of the hundred worst invasive alien species by the

Invasive Species Specialist Group Invasive may refer to: *Invasive (medical) procedure *Invasive species *Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance *Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...

. Replacement of its very close ecological analogue, the native African ''

Musanga cecropioides ''Musanga cecropioides'', the African corkwood tree or umbrella tree, is found in tropical Africa from Sierra Leone south to Angola and east to Uganda. It is typical in secondary forests. This tree is also known as ''parasolier'', ''n'govoge'', ...

'', by ''C. peltata'' has been reported along major roads of Cameroon.

References

External links

Tree invasion in The Pacific Islands

Review Article: Selection of chemical markers for the quality control of medicinal plants of the genus Cecropia
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2998776 peltata Plants described in 1759