Cecropiaceae

<<<Fruits>Embryo>Cotyledons>Shape

flat1

1. 006-003-002-001

<<<Pistillate flowers>Pistil>Ovules>Ovule number

12

2. 005-002-003-001

<<<Pistillate flowers>Pistil>Stigma>Stigma number

13

3. 005-002-004-001

<<Fruits>Embryo>Cotyledons

cotyledons equal, or thickened.4

4. 006-003-002

<<Fruits>Embryo>Shape

straight5

5. 006-003-001

<<Fruits>Perianth>Texture

more or less fleshy6

6. 006-001-001

<<Habit>Sap>Colour

black7

7. 001-001-001

<<Leaves>Blade>Shape

entire or palmately incised or peltate and radially incised8

8. 002-002-001

<<Leaves>Blade>Veins

venation pinnate, (sub)palmate, trinervate or radial.9

9. 002-002-002

<<Leaves>Stipules>Shape

connate10

10. 002-001-001

<<Pistillate flowers>Pistil>Ovary

ovary free, unilocular,11

11. 005-002-002

<<Pistillate flowers>Pistil>Ovules

ovule , (sub)basally attached,12

12. 005-002-003

<<Pistillate flowers>Pistil>Pistil number

113

13. 005-002-001

<<Pistillate flowers>Pistil>Stigma

stigma .14

14. 005-002-004

<<Pistillate flowers>Tepals>Shape

connate15

15. 005-001-002

<<Pistillate flowers>Tepals>Tepal number

4-216

16. 005-001-001

<<Staminate flowers>Stamens>Stamen number

4-117

17. 004-002-001

<<Staminate flowers>Tepals>Shape

free or connate18

18. 004-001-002

<<Staminate flowers>Tepals>Tepal number

4-219

19. 004-001-001

<Fruits>Embryo

embryo ,20

20. 006-003

<Fruits>Perianth

enveloped by a (slightly) enlarged, perianth21

21. 006-001

<Fruits>Seeds

seed small and with endosperm or large and without endosperm;22

22. 006-002

<Habit>Sap

with watery sap turning at the air23

23. 001-001

<Leaves>Blade

blade basally attached and ,24

24. 002-002

<Leaves>Stipules

stipules fully amplexicaul, ;25

25. 002-001

<Pistillate flowers>Pistil

pistil ,26

26. 005-002

<Pistillate flowers>Tepals

with , tepals27

27. 005-001

<Staminate flowers>Pistillode

pistillode absent.28

28. 004-003

<Staminate flowers>Stamens

stamens ;29

29. 004-002

<Staminate flowers>Tepals

with , tepals30

30. 004-001

Description

Trees or shrubs, terrestrial or hemi-epiphytic, dioecious, with watery sap turning black at the air. Leaves in spirals; stipules fully amplexicaul, connate; blade basally attached and entire or palmately incised or peltate and radially incised, venation pinnate, (sub)palmate, trinervate or radial. Inflorescences unisexual, pedunculate, branched, with the flowers solitary or clustered in heads or spikes, or unbranched with a single head or spike, bracteate or ebracteate. Staminate flowers with 4-2, free or connate tepals; stamens 4-1; pistillode absent. Pistillate flowers with 4-2, connate tepals; pistil 1, ovary free, unilocular, ovule 1, (sub)basally attached, stigma 1. Fruit an achene or more or less drupaceous, enveloped by a (slightly) enlarged, more or less fleshy perianth; seed small and with endosperm or large and without endosperm; embryo straight, cotyledons equal, flat or thickened.

Distribution

Guianas present, Neotropics present, Pantropical present

Pantropical; 6 genera with approx. 180-200 species; in the Neotropics 3 genera with approx. 150-170 species; in the Guianas 25 species (and 4 additional ones expected to occur).

Fruits

Fruit an achene or more or less drupaceous, ;31

31. 006

Habit

Trees or shrubs, terrestrial or hemi-epiphytic, dioecious, .32

32. 001

IDENTIFICATION

Based on wood anatomical characters, the Cecropiaceae belong to the Moraceae (Bonsen & ter Welle, 1983). It is not possible to identify the taxa of the Cecropiaceae among various taxa of the Moraceae. Latex tubes are common in the secondary xylem of most genera of the Moraceae and are also found in some species of Cecropia, Coussapoa and Pourouma.

Inflorescences

Inflorescences unisexual, pedunculate, branched, with the flowers solitary or clustered in heads or spikes, or unbranched with a single head or spike, bracteate or ebracteate.33

33. 003

Leaves

Leaves in spirals;34

34. 002

Notes

The indument is rather important for the distinction of the taxa. There are three common types of trichomes; (1) unicellular, rather thick, straight, curved, uncinate or more or less crinkled hairs; (2) unicellular, very thin, white or brownish, cobwebby (arachnoid) hairs; and (3) pluricellular hairs, moniliform or more or less contracted, brown or purplish, occurring on young parts, often very dense and in dried material appearing powdery.

Pistillate flowers

Pistillate flowers ;35

35. 005

Staminate flowers

Staminate flowers ;36

36. 004

Timber properties

Cecropia

Tree	Fast growing secondary species. Stems hollow, with stilt roots to approx. 1 m. Diameter up to 20-50 cm. Bole strongly tapered, up to 12m. Tree up to 10-30 m.
Description of the wood	No difference in colour between heartwood and sapwood, whitish when freshly cut, becoming pale brown or oatmeal coloured upon exposure. Texture coarse. Grain straight. No lustre.
Weight	Specific gravity variable: C. obtusa 200-300 kg/m3. C. peltata 300-400 kg/m3. C. sciadophylla 300-600 kg/m3.
Shrinkage	From green to ovendry: radial 2.0%, tangential6.2%, volumetric 8.3%.
Seasoning properties	The wood air-seasons rapidly but with con- siderable amount of degrade (moderate to severe warp and little checking). The wood is also easy to kiln-dry without excessive sea- soning degrade.
Working properties	Stock saws and machines easily when dry. Due to the porous nature (= large vessels) of the timber, surfaces tend to tear and fuzz in shaping and turning, and to crush or crumble in boring and mortising. However, it takes nails and screws readily, and holds them firmly. Planes and sands well, but does not take varnish readily.
Durability	Very susceptible to attack by decay fungi, ter- mites and other insects. Prone to blue stain.
Preservation	The wood is easy to treat.
Uses	Use locally limited. Plywood, particle board, matchsticks. The lightest grade of this timber can 1be a good substitute for moderately heavy grades of balsa wood.
Supply	Very common.
Trade names	Congo pump, Floatwood, Kamong, Sararai, Soro-soro, Tor, Trumpet tree, Wana-soro (GU). Boesipapaja, Bospapaja, Manboesipapaja (SU) Bois bouchon, Bois canon, Bois trompete, Bouchi papaie, Diapapaia (FG).

Coussapoa

Tree	Small tree.
Vernacular names	Kumanaballi, Mabakubia, Yale (GU).

Pourouma

Tree	Fast growing secondary species with low stilt roots and small flangles to 1 m high. Diameter up to 40-50 cm. Bole fairly good, up to 15 m. Tree up to 30m.
Description of the wood	Heartwood light rosy to pale brown, slightly demarcated from the cream sapwood. Texture coarse. Grain straight. Lustre medium to low.
Weight	Specific gravity 350-450 kg per cubic metre (12%).
Working properties	Saws woolly, difficult to bring to a smooth finish.
Durability	Perishable.
Uses	Plywood, interior work.
Supply	Limited.
Vernacular names	Amitha, Badkorinina, Boroma, Mikwa, Pratakik (GU). Granboesi papaja (SU). Bois canon, Bouchi papaie (FG).

Wood

Vessels diffuse, solitary and in radial multiples and irregular clusters, perforations simple, intervascular pits alternate, round or polygonal.
Rays uniseriate and 2-7-seriate, heterogeneous, cells sometimes containing rhombic crystals.
Parenchyma vasicentric-aliform, confluent or banded, bands irregular, wavy, usually 4-12 cells wide, cells often containing rhombic crystals. Fibres non-septate, with simple pits on the radial walls.

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