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Family: Meliaceae
Spanish-Cedar, more...Spanish cedar (es: Cedro, cedro amargo, cedro cebolla)
[Cedrela mexicana var. puberula] |
Description: A tall canopy tree, with a straight, cylindrical trunk; large trees have plant buttresses at the base. The bark is light brown or gray, and divided into plates by vertical fissures; inner bark is red. Leaves are alternate, compound, while leaflets within the leaf are opposite (or nearly opposite) one another. There is no terminal leaflet and generally 10-22 leaflets per leaf. Leaflets have tiny pits (domatia) on the underside, at the base of the secondary veins. The base of the petiole is swollen, brown, and flattened from side-to-side. All young parts of the plant are fuzzy and smell strongly when crushed. Reproduction: The cedro is deciduous for part of the dry season. Flowers are small, white, produced in May and June. Fruits mature for nearly a full year, opening from January to May. They are woody capsules with 5 valves that open, producing a star-shape. Inside are winged seeds. Distribution: This species is restricted to the Pacific side of the isthmus, and nowhere common, but it can be found regularly in secondary forests around Panama City. Trees are sometimes seen along roads or in towns. There are a few individuals at Barro Colorado and in Soberania. Most trees are less than 50 cm in diamter with only small buttresses, but there is a very large individual with high buttresses near the Limbo Hunt Club at Pipeline Rd. This species may have once been more common on the Pacific slope -- large individuals probably would have been harvested. Similar Species: Compound leaves, no terminal leaflet, with a brown swelling at the base of the petiole, are Meliaceae characters. The LK swiema mahogany LK2 is a close relative, and often confused; note that Cedrela usually has more leaflets, and the bark on large trees is much different. LK caragu Carapa guianensis LK2 has fewer leaflets still. The genus LK guargu Guarea LK2 is also similar, and much more common in forests throughout the Canal area; note that in Guarea, there is a growing tip at the end of each leaf, absent in the other Meliaceae. Uses: The cedro has fine timber, is usually considered next in value in the new world after its relative, the mahogany. But it is rare in the Canal area, and there is no commercial harvest. The cedro can grow rapidly when it has light, but small saplings are frequently attacked by a beetle larva when they are cultivated, and this has prevented production in plantation. Descripción: Árbol de 20 a 35 m de alto. Tronco recto y cilíndrico, a veces con raíces tablares pequeñas en la base. Corteza exterior blanca o gris y con fisuras longitudinales. Corteza interior roja. Ramitas terminales con lenticelas blancas. Todas las partes jóvenes de la planta se encuentran cubiertas de pelos y presentan un fuerte olor al estrujarlas. Hojas paripinnadas y alternas, con 6-12 pares de folíolos, opuestos o subopuestos en el raquis. Folíolos de 7-20 x 3-8 cm, ovados, elípticos o lanceolados, con ápice acuminado, bordes enteros y base redondeada. Pecíolo de 5-10 cm de largo y pulvinado en la base. La especie es monoica. Flores blancas. Frutos en cápsulas oblongas o elipsoidales, de 2-5 cm de largo, verdes y con lenticelas blancas en la superficie exterior, dehiscentes en cinco valvas al madurar. Semillas aladas y membranáceas. Datos Ecológicos: La especie crece a bajas elevaciones, en bosques secos o húmedos de todo el país. Deja caer sus hojas durante la estación seca, pero las repone a inicios de la estación lluviosa. Florece y fructifica de diciembre a mayo. Las flores son visitadas por abejas y otros insectos. Las semillas son dispersadas por la abertura de los frutos y el viento. Especies Parecidas: A menudo se confunde con LK sponmo Spondias mombin LK2 , pero S. mombin tiene hojas imparipinnadas y los frutos son drupas. LK swiema Swietenia macrophylla LK2 también tiene hojas parecidas, pero en S. macrophylla los frutos y las semillas son de mayor tamaño. Usos: La madera es de excelente calidad, empleada en la elaboración de muebles finos, construcción interna, trabajos de gabinetes, canoas, pisos, puertas, marcos de ventanas, cajas para puros y en la fabricación de instrumentos musicales. Con los frutos se hacen arreglos artesanales. Las raíces y la corteza del tronco se utilizan en la medicina tradicional, para curar fiebres, diarreas, dolores de estómago y parásitos intestinales. |