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Cecropia obtusifolia

Bertol. (1840)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Rosales Family: Urticaceae Genus: Cecropia

guarumo, snakewood tree, trumpet tree

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Dioecious trees.

Stems: Trees usually 5–10 m tall.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades usually 20–30 cm long. Upper surfaces scabridulous and sparsely arachnoid pubescent; lower surfaces very pale to nearly white, minutely and usually densely puberulent. Margins usually divided more than ½ to the center, 9–15-lobed, the lobes occasionally with 1 to several lateral lobes. Petioles usually 23–30 cm long. Stipules present 7–11 cm long, amplexicaul, leaving a scar completely surrounding stem.

Flowers: Flowers in staminate flowers in spikes (10–)12–18 cm long, these in clusters of 3–9, spathes (11–)12–20 cm long, 0.3–0.4 cm in diameter; pistillate flowers in spikes 17–30 cm long, ca. 0.5 cm in diameter at anthesis, enlarging to 0.6–0.9 cm in diameter in fruit, the spikes in clusters of 2–4, spathes 16–20 cm long, outer face usually arachnoid pubescent, inner face villous. Flowers unisexual. Calyx of 2–4 sepals. Corolla (petals) absent. Stamens in staminate flowers 2; filaments straight in bud; anthers dithecal. Ovary superior, 1-carpellate; ovule 1, placentation basal; stigma 1; style 1.

Fruit: Fruit ovoid to oblong–ovoid; somewhat flattened; 3.3–3.7 mm long. Seeds 1 per achene; without endosperm.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Pastures and low elevation wet forest.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

  • Yes

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Birds
Other Animals

Pollinators

Notes

  • Cecropia obtusifulia is often confused with C. peltata L., which has leaves divided only halfway to the base, staminate spikes in clusters of 12-50, and pistillate spikes less than 12 cm long when fully expanded. Cecropia peltata has been mentioned in the literature (e.9., Neal, 1965), but we have not seen any material of this species from Hawai'i; its mention probably is based on misidentifications.
  • Description digitized by Mercedez
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • First collected on Hawai'i in 1926

Bibliography

Name Published In: Nuovi Ann. Sci. Nat. 3: 141 (1840)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:530 (K, O, H); Staples & Herbst 2005:230 (DESCR)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Cecropia obtusifolia ahupuaa of Halepuaa in the Puna District, growing in the experimental tree planting site on the side of the Puna Trail Other trees in the area include Psidium guajava and Pluchea odorata. The soil is crushed lava or cinder. Preserved_Specimen The tree was about 10 meters tall, taller than the surrounding trees. Yoshida, L. 79.068 Hawaii BISH 1979-03-08
2 Cecropia obtusifolia Waiahole, Water Reserve Preserved_Specimen Saito, F. Oahu BISH 1962-05-22
3 Cecropia obtusifolia Kohala forest reserve Preserved_Specimen young tree 4 m. MacDaniels, L.H. 326 Hawaii BISH 1926-12-06
4 Cecropia obtusifolia Honolulu, Foster Botanical Garden Preserved_Specimen Lvs. gray beneath, dark green above, petiole and veins dull rose to purple. Juv. inflor. Miyashiro, Y. Oahu BISH 1964-12-21
5 Cecropia obtusifolia Wahiawa, by Bishop Bank Preserved_Specimen Tree. Leaf stem full of pith. Fl. spikes translucent white, covered with white pollen; fls. at base of spikes still have pollen Price, J.P. Oahu BISH 1942-11-04
6 Cecropia obtusifolia Manoa Valley Preserved_Specimen smooth tree Kerr, M. Oahu BISH 1946-07-27
7 Cecropia obtusifolia Lyon Arboretum Preserved_Specimen sparingly branched tree with hollow, septate stems Herbst, D.R. 620 Oahu BISH 1967-09-25
8 Cecropia obtusifolia 7 mi SW of State Route 11 on Mamaki Road to Kulani Prison. Waiakea Forest Reserve Preserved_Specimen tree 6 m; spikes cream-colored Miller, J.S. 7945 Hawaii BISH 1992-08-06
9 Cecropia obtusifolia Panaewa Arboretum, 5 mi S of Hilo Preserved_Specimen tree 50', 8 diam. Little Jr., E.L. 31049 Hawaii BISH 1976-08-16
10 Cecropia obtusifolia Lyon Arboretum Preserved_Specimen sparingly branched tree with hollow, septate stems Herbst, D.R. 620 Oahu BISH 1967-09-25
11 Cecropia obtusifolia Waiahole, Water Reserve Preserved_Specimen Saito, F. Oahu BISH 1962-05-22
12 Cecropia obtusifolia Pahoa, Pahoa Farmer's market in degraded forest, sunny, moist; abundant with other weeds like Melastoma, strawberry guava, etc Preserved_Specimen Male, infl branches about 7 mm in diameter, yellowish off white, bract enclosed inflorescence red-purple about 1.5 cm wide Faccenda, K. 3292 Hawaii BISH 2024-01-07
13 Cecropia obtusifolia Volcano Road below Olaa common, naturalized in remnants of second-growth forest. Preserved_Specimen Candalabra-branched tree, 8 m, infl. pendent from nodes just below leaves, stipules maroon Fosberg, F.R. 50521 Hawaii BISH 1968-11-08
14 Cecropia obtusifolia Volcano Road below Olaa common, naturalized in remnants of second-growth forest. Preserved_Specimen Candalabra-branched tree, 8 m, infl. pendent from nodes just below leaves, stipules maroon Fosberg, F.R. 50521 Hawaii BISH 1968-11-08
15 Cecropia obtusifolia ahupuaa of Halepuaa in the Puna District Growing in the experimental tree planting site on the side of the Puna Trail. Surrounding trees were Psidium guajava and Pluchea odorata. The soil is crushed lava or cinder. Preserved_Specimen The tree was about 10 meters tall. The tree was taller than the surrounding trees. Yoshida, L. 79.068 Hawaii BISH 1979-03-08
16 Cecropia obtusifolia Manoa, HSPA Arboretum closed moist forest Preserved_Specimen Egler, F.E. 3714 Oahu BISH 1937-01-01
17 Cecropia obtusifolia off Nene St., 1/4 mi from dead end, Keaukaha w/Trema, Spathodea, Pandanus, Macaranga and Ipomoea Preserved_Specimen Weak tree 12', dbh 2.5. Leaves large, peltate, 10-13 lobed, with grayish white underside. Inflorscence pendulous, 6-16 long, enclosed in sheath before maturity. Stems hollow, partitioned. Plant dioecious Ishikawa, S. 207 Hawaii BISH 1973-01-12
18 Cecropia obtusifolia Nuuanu Pali Dr. Above where the housing development ends Roadside, shaded, moist Preserved_Specimen Infrequent along road as saplings and larger trees Faccenda, K. 1917 Oahu BISH 2021-05-29
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