Cecropia peltata Regel, Urticaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 9 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Cecropia palmata auct.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: snakewood, trumpet tree

French: bois cannon, bois cannonsse-roux, faux ricin, papyrus géant, parasolier, pisse-roux

Spanish: guarumo, yagrumo

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Trees to 20 m tall or more; stems hollow, partitioned at the nodes, bearing conspicuous amplexicaul stipular scars and large, U-shaped leaf scars; leaves alternate, long-lobed, the lobes ovate, somewhat pointed, 1-5 dm wide or more, dark green and scabrous above, densely white-tomentose beneath, the stipules enclosing the leaves in bud; staminate inflorescence an umbellate cluster of spikes (3-many) 3-5.5 cm long, the flowers consisting of tubular calyces with exserted paired stamens; pistillate spikes 2-6, sessile, yellowish, in fruit 2-5.5 (9) cm long, thick and succulent" (Welsh, 1998; p. 137).

Habitat/ecology:  "Forests and forest gaps, disturbed sites.  The tree is an early successional, light demanding, fast growing species that colonizes tree-fall gaps of rainforests in the native range.  The tree quickly occupies gaps and forms dense stands.  It sprouts easily after damage"  (Weber, 2003; p. 90).

Widely established in the forests to several hundred meters elevation on Tahiti and Raiatea (Welsh, 1998; p. 137).

Propagation:  Seeds are dispersed by frugivorous birds and bats  (Weber, 2003; p. 90).

Native range:  Neotropics.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
French Polynesia Society Islands	Moorea Island	introduced invasive	University of California (2006) "Invasive tree native to the American tropics, spreading rapidly, not as serious as Miconia, but definitely a plant of concern".
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced invasive	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 62) Vouchers cited: Moore 728, BRY 26092
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J. (1997) (p. 25)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Taha‘a Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J. (1997) (p. 25)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 62) Vouchers cited: BRY 26348, BRY 26009
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J. (1997) (p. 25)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Vouchers cited: J. Florence 2380 (PAP), J. Florence 2493 (PAP) Naturalisée. Menace pour la biodiversité.
French Polynesia Tuamotu Archipelago	Makatea (Ma‘atea) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J. (1997) (p. 25)
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rapa Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J. (1997) (p. 25)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 137) Voucher cited: Sopéna in MacKee 36014

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)		Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. (1979) (p. 72)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced invasive	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 24) Naturalised

Control: 

Physical:  Hand pull or dig out seedlings and young trees.

Chemical:  Cut larger trees and treat the stumps with herbicide (Weber, 2003; p. 90).

Additional information:
At the Woody Plant Ecology web site.
Information on this species from "Silvics of North American", USDA Agriculture Handbook 654.

Additional online information about Cecropia peltata is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Cecropia peltata as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Cecropia peltata may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Florence, J. 1997. Flore de la Polynésie française, Vol. 1. Paris. Editions de l'Orstom, Institut Français de Recherche Scientifique pour le Développement en Coopération, Collection Faune et Flore Tropicales 34. 393 pp.

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

Holm, Leroy/Pancho, Juan V./Herberger, James P./Plucknett, Donald L. 1979. A geographical atlas of world weeds. John Wiley & Sons, New York. 391 pp.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle [France]. 2010. Inventaire national du patrimoine natural [National inventory of natural heritage]. (online resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

University of California. 2006. Moorea Digital Flora Project (online resource).

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.

Welsh, S. L. 1998. Flora Societensis: A summary revision of the flowering plants of the Society Islands. E.P.S. Inc., Orem, Utah. 420 pp.