Cedrela odorata L.

• Authority

  Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.

• Family

  Meliaceae

• Scientific Name

  Cedrela odorata L.

• Description

  Species Description - Tree to 15 m tall; bark light gray or light brown, fissured, bitter; stems cylindrical, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, usually with rounded lenticels. Leaves paripinnate, rarely with an abortive terminal leaflet; leaflets 6-12 pairs, opposite to alternate, sessile to petiolulate, 7-15 x 3-5 cm, ovate-lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate, or ovate, often falcate, chartaceous, with strong fetid smell, the apex acute or acuminate, the base asymmetrical, obtuserounded, the margins entire. Rowers in terminal thyrses, as long as or shorter than the subtending leaf; bracts minute, viscidulous. Calyx cup-shaped, 1-1.5 mm long, sparsely pubescent or glabrous, splitting along one or two sides; petals white, oblong, adnate to gynophore one-half of their length; stamens 5, free, 2 - 3 mm long, glabrous; ovary globose, 5-locular, each locule with 10-14 ovules, the style 1-1.5 mm long. Capsules oblong-ellipsoid, with thin woody pericarp, brown, with numerous light lenticels, 2.5-3 cm long. Seeds light brown, 2-3 cm long.

• Discussion

  Common names: acajou, red cedar.