Monographs Details:
Authority:
Berg, Cornelius C. & Franco Rosselli, Pilar. 2005. Cecropia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 94: 1--230. (Published by NYBG Press)
Berg, Cornelius C. & Franco Rosselli, Pilar. 2005. Cecropia. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 94: 1--230. (Published by NYBG Press)
Family:
Urticaceae
Urticaceae
Synonyms:
Cecropia eximia Cuatrec., Cecropia sandersoniana P.H.Allen, Cecropia polyandrophora Cuatrec.
Cecropia eximia Cuatrec., Cecropia sandersoniana P.H.Allen, Cecropia polyandrophora Cuatrec.
Description:
Species Description - Tree, to 25(-40) m tall. Leafy twigs 2-5 cm thick, reddish-brown to blackish, (rather) sparsely hispidulous. Lamina coriaceous (and sometimes ± plicate) to subcoriaceous, ca. 50 × 35 cm to 100 × 85 cm (to 120 × 100 cm), the segments 7-8(-9), the free parts of upper segments elliptic to (sub)obovate to oblong, the incisions down to ca. 7/10; apices obtuse; upper surface smooth, initially with sparse to rather dense arachnoid indumentum; lower surface with sparse to dense brown pluricellular hairs on the main veins, with arachnoid indumentum in the areoles, on the smaller veins, and (at least initially) also on the main veins; lateral veins in the free part of the midsegment, 12-18(-24) pairs, submarginally loop-connected, unbranched; petiole 35-80 cm long, red-brown to grayish, with dense brown pluricellular hairs and dense arachnoid indumentum; trichilia fused or separate, the brown indumentum intermixed with short stiff white to brownish (unicellular) hairs; stipules 22-50 cm long, pinkish to red to red-brown, caducous (or subpersistent), subsericeous to hirtellous to hispidulous and with dense brown pluricellular hairs outside, ± densely sericeous inside. Staminate inflorescences in pairs, erect; peduncle 3-7 cm long, hispidulous to puberulous; spathe 12-16(-22) cm long, pinkish to red to red-brown, puberulous to hispidulous or to strigillose or also brown pluricellular hairs and/or (rather) sparse arachnoid indumentum outside, sparsely to densely hairy or glabrous inside; spikes 5-9 and 8-10 × 0.6-1.2 cm or ca. 15-35 and 6.5-14.5 × 0.3-0.5 cm, with stipes 0.5-2 cm long and glabrous; rachis hairy. Staminate flowers: perianth tubular, ca. 1.5-2 mm long, with short and stiff hairs below the apex, the apex almost plane; filaments flat; anthers ca. 0.7 mm long, appendiculate, detached at anthesis (?). Pistillate inflorescences in pairs or solitary, initially erect, pendulous in fruit; peduncle 9-15 cm long, green, hispid or subglabrous; spathe 10-22 cm long, the color and indumentum as in the staminate inflorescence; spikes (2-)4-5(-7), 8-18 × ca. 0.8 cm, to 26 × ca. 1 cm in fruit, with stipes 0.5-1 cm long and glabrous; rachis hairy. Pistillate flowers: perianth ca. 2 mm long, with arachnoid indumentum below the apex, also in the upper part of the style channel inside, the apex convex or almost plane, (sub)muriculate, ± angular in circumference, the apical part long, the aperture slit-shaped to circular, bordered by a rim; style long, curved; stigma truncate, comose. Fruit oblongoid to ellipsoid, 2-2.5 mm long, ± tuberculate.
Species Description - Tree, to 25(-40) m tall. Leafy twigs 2-5 cm thick, reddish-brown to blackish, (rather) sparsely hispidulous. Lamina coriaceous (and sometimes ± plicate) to subcoriaceous, ca. 50 × 35 cm to 100 × 85 cm (to 120 × 100 cm), the segments 7-8(-9), the free parts of upper segments elliptic to (sub)obovate to oblong, the incisions down to ca. 7/10; apices obtuse; upper surface smooth, initially with sparse to rather dense arachnoid indumentum; lower surface with sparse to dense brown pluricellular hairs on the main veins, with arachnoid indumentum in the areoles, on the smaller veins, and (at least initially) also on the main veins; lateral veins in the free part of the midsegment, 12-18(-24) pairs, submarginally loop-connected, unbranched; petiole 35-80 cm long, red-brown to grayish, with dense brown pluricellular hairs and dense arachnoid indumentum; trichilia fused or separate, the brown indumentum intermixed with short stiff white to brownish (unicellular) hairs; stipules 22-50 cm long, pinkish to red to red-brown, caducous (or subpersistent), subsericeous to hirtellous to hispidulous and with dense brown pluricellular hairs outside, ± densely sericeous inside. Staminate inflorescences in pairs, erect; peduncle 3-7 cm long, hispidulous to puberulous; spathe 12-16(-22) cm long, pinkish to red to red-brown, puberulous to hispidulous or to strigillose or also brown pluricellular hairs and/or (rather) sparse arachnoid indumentum outside, sparsely to densely hairy or glabrous inside; spikes 5-9 and 8-10 × 0.6-1.2 cm or ca. 15-35 and 6.5-14.5 × 0.3-0.5 cm, with stipes 0.5-2 cm long and glabrous; rachis hairy. Staminate flowers: perianth tubular, ca. 1.5-2 mm long, with short and stiff hairs below the apex, the apex almost plane; filaments flat; anthers ca. 0.7 mm long, appendiculate, detached at anthesis (?). Pistillate inflorescences in pairs or solitary, initially erect, pendulous in fruit; peduncle 9-15 cm long, green, hispid or subglabrous; spathe 10-22 cm long, the color and indumentum as in the staminate inflorescence; spikes (2-)4-5(-7), 8-18 × ca. 0.8 cm, to 26 × ca. 1 cm in fruit, with stipes 0.5-1 cm long and glabrous; rachis hairy. Pistillate flowers: perianth ca. 2 mm long, with arachnoid indumentum below the apex, also in the upper part of the style channel inside, the apex convex or almost plane, (sub)muriculate, ± angular in circumference, the apical part long, the aperture slit-shaped to circular, bordered by a rim; style long, curved; stigma truncate, comose. Fruit oblongoid to ellipsoid, 2-2.5 mm long, ± tuberculate.
Discussion:
The staminate inflorescences have only 5-9 spikes, 0.6-1.2 cm diam., in the northern and southern part of the distribution range. However, in Colombia (Antioquia, Chocó, and Valle) the staminate inflorescences have ca. 15-35 spikes, 0.2-0.5 cm diam. This very different type of staminate inflorescence is represented by the collections Cuatrecasas et al 26187 and Franco et al 4532, 4585, and 4600, which are in their vegetative parts similar to the other collections. Material with pistillate inflorescences from the same region are not different. This species shows morphological and ecological similarities to the Amazonian Cecropia distachya, both becoming tall forest trees with coriaceous and mostly smooth laminas. Cecropia insignis also shows close morphological affinities to the montane C. plicata; the latter is distinct by the presence of arachnoid indumentum on the leafy twigs and more numerous segments of the lamina.
The staminate inflorescences have only 5-9 spikes, 0.6-1.2 cm diam., in the northern and southern part of the distribution range. However, in Colombia (Antioquia, Chocó, and Valle) the staminate inflorescences have ca. 15-35 spikes, 0.2-0.5 cm diam. This very different type of staminate inflorescence is represented by the collections Cuatrecasas et al 26187 and Franco et al 4532, 4585, and 4600, which are in their vegetative parts similar to the other collections. Material with pistillate inflorescences from the same region are not different. This species shows morphological and ecological similarities to the Amazonian Cecropia distachya, both becoming tall forest trees with coriaceous and mostly smooth laminas. Cecropia insignis also shows close morphological affinities to the montane C. plicata; the latter is distinct by the presence of arachnoid indumentum on the leafy twigs and more numerous segments of the lamina.
Distribution:
Puntarenas Costa Rica Central America| Colón Panamá Central America| Esmeraldas Ecuador South America| Coclé Panamá Central America| Los Santos Panama Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| San Blás Panama Central America| Cartago Costa Rica Central America| Olancho Honduras Central America| Jinotega Nicaragua Central America| Zelaya Nicaragua Central America| Imbabura Ecuador South America| Los Ríos Ecuador South America| Pichincha Ecuador South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Boyacá Colombia South America| Chocó Colombia South America| Tolima Colombia South America| Valle Colombia South America| Bluefields Nicaragua Central America|
Puntarenas Costa Rica Central America| Colón Panamá Central America| Esmeraldas Ecuador South America| Coclé Panamá Central America| Los Santos Panama Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| San Blás Panama Central America| Cartago Costa Rica Central America| Olancho Honduras Central America| Jinotega Nicaragua Central America| Zelaya Nicaragua Central America| Imbabura Ecuador South America| Los Ríos Ecuador South America| Pichincha Ecuador South America| Antioquia Colombia South America| Boyacá Colombia South America| Chocó Colombia South America| Tolima Colombia South America| Valle Colombia South America| Bluefields Nicaragua Central America|