Cecropiaceae Cecropia schreberiana Miq.

| |	© W.D. Hawthorne

Keywords in this picture :

• Foliage
• Lamina leaf blade
• Vegetative
• Venation
• Leaf parts
• Leaf
• Plant parts

Places where this species can be found :

• Grand Etang - GRENADA
• Grenada - GRENADA

Species information

Description
Tree with stilt roots; leaves white below, 7-9 lobed; petioles to 30cm long; large red or white stipules at twig tips.

Interest
named after Cecrops, the mythical Egyptian founder of Athens. In Grenada, a tea from the leaves is used for colds (with bamboo), and hypertension. Elsewhere it is used for diabetes and kidney disorders also. In St. Lucia the stem is made into a musical instrument called the ha ha in St. Lucia (Politi, 1996). In Jamaica, trumpet alludes to the use for instruments. The leaf blade turns over in bad weather revealing the silvery green lower surface. Cecropia peltata L. Trumpet Tree The hollow stems of this tropical American tree are often inhabited by fierce ants (Azteca sp.) which rush out if the tree is shaken and attack the intruder (Menninger 1967). Mabberley (1987) notes that C. peltata in Puerto Rico has 98% of its trees without this symbiotic trait whereas in Trinidad and on the tropical American mainland all trees have it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- References Allen PH (1943) Poisonous and injurious plants of Panama. American Journal of Tropical Medicine 23(Suppl.): 3-76. Dahlgren BE and Standley PC (1944) Edible and Poisonous Plants of the Caribbean Region. Issued by the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, Navy Department. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. Mabberley DJ (1987) The Plant-Book. A portable dictionary of the higher plants. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Martinez M (1969) The Medicinal Plants of Mexico, 5th edn. Mexico City: Andres Botas. Menninger EA (1967) Fantastic Trees. New York: Viking Press.

Specimen information

Collector
Hawthorne, W.D.

Specimen Number
s.n.