Cedrela
Encyclopedia
Cedrela is a genus of seven species in the mahogany family Meliaceae
. They are evergreen
or dry-season deciduous
tree
s with pinnate leaves
, native to the tropical and subtropical New World, from southern Mexico
south to northern Argentina
. The name is derived from a diminutive form of Cedrus (cedar).
Species
Cedrela odorata is the most common species in the genus, widespread in seasonally dry tropical and subtropical forests; it is deciduous in the dry season which may last several months. C. lilloi and C. montana occur at higher altitudes in moister conditions, and are evergreen or only briefly deciduous.
These additional names have been published, but are not now accepted as distinct taxa (see Pennington & Styles 1981): C. angustifolia, C. balansae, C. barbata, C. boliviana, C. brunelliodes, C. ciliolata, C. discolor, C. febrifuga, C. guanensis, C. mexicana, C. oaxacensis, C. occidentalis, C. pacayana, C. paraguariensis, C. rosei, C. rotunda, C. saxatilis, C. sintenisii, C. steinbachii, C. velutina.
Some authors take a wider view of the genus, and include the related Asia
n - Australasian genus Toona
in Cedrela.
Cedrela odorata is a very important timber
tree, producing a lightweight fragrant wood with very good resistance to termite
s and other wood-boring insects, and also rot-resistant outdoors. The wood is often sold under the name "Spanish-cedar" (like many trade names, confusing as it is neither Spanish nor a cedar), and is the traditional wood used for making cigar box
es, as well as being used for general outdoor and construction work, panelling and veneer wood. Note that it is now CITES -listed. It is also grown as an ornamental tree, and has become naturalised in some areas in Africa
, southeast Asia
and Hawaii
. The other species have similar wood, but are less-used due to scarcity.
Meliaceae
The Meliaceae, or the Mahogany family, is a flowering plant family of mostly trees and shrubs in the order Sapindales....
. They are evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
or dry-season deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s with pinnate leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
, native to the tropical and subtropical New World, from southern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
south to northern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. The name is derived from a diminutive form of Cedrus (cedar).
Species
- Cedrela fissilisCedrela fissilisCedrela fissilis is a species of plant in the Meliaceae family. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. This plant is currently threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
Vell. - Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
south to Argentina - Cedrela hirsuta C. DC. - ParaguayParaguayParaguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
- Cedrela huberi - ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
http://www.hardwoodgallery.com/woods.htm - Cedrela lilloiCedrela lilloiCedrela lilloi is a species of plant in the Meliaceae family. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Llamozas, S. 1998. . Downloaded on 21 August 2007....
C. DC. - Argentina, BoliviaBoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, EcuadorEcuadorEcuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border... - Cedrela montanaCedrela montanaCedrela montana, the Cedro tree, is a species of plant in the Meliaceae family. It is found in the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador.It can grow up to 20 m tall. It has small flowers that grow in bunches....
Moritz ex Turcz - ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Ecuador - Cedrela odorataCedrela odorataCedrela odorata . The genus Cedrela has undergone two major systematic revisions since 1960. The most recent revision reduced the number of species in the genus to seven . The common cedro, Cedrela odorata L., embraces 28 other named species, including C. mexicana M. J...
L. (Cedro Hembra) - West Indies and from 24°N in Mexico south to 28°S in ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires... - Cedrela salvadorensis Standl. - Central AmericaCentral AmericaCentral America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
- Cedrela tonduziiCedrela tonduziiCedrela tonduzii is a monoecious tree that grows up to 40 m and can reach a diameter at breast height of up to 180 cm, but generally averages 80 cm.This species is distributed from...
C. DC. - Central America
Cedrela odorata is the most common species in the genus, widespread in seasonally dry tropical and subtropical forests; it is deciduous in the dry season which may last several months. C. lilloi and C. montana occur at higher altitudes in moister conditions, and are evergreen or only briefly deciduous.
These additional names have been published, but are not now accepted as distinct taxa (see Pennington & Styles 1981): C. angustifolia, C. balansae, C. barbata, C. boliviana, C. brunelliodes, C. ciliolata, C. discolor, C. febrifuga, C. guanensis, C. mexicana, C. oaxacensis, C. occidentalis, C. pacayana, C. paraguariensis, C. rosei, C. rotunda, C. saxatilis, C. sintenisii, C. steinbachii, C. velutina.
Some authors take a wider view of the genus, and include the related Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n - Australasian genus Toona
Toona
Toona is a genus of five species of trees in the mahogany family, Meliaceae, native from Afghanistan south to India, and east to North Korea, Papua New Guinea and eastern Australia...
in Cedrela.
Uses
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
tree, producing a lightweight fragrant wood with very good resistance to termite
Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
s and other wood-boring insects, and also rot-resistant outdoors. The wood is often sold under the name "Spanish-cedar" (like many trade names, confusing as it is neither Spanish nor a cedar), and is the traditional wood used for making cigar box
Cigar box
Cigar boxes are popular juggling props. Their rectangular shape resembles that of its namesake; they are sometimes padded on the ends and/or the sides with a felt-like material....
es, as well as being used for general outdoor and construction work, panelling and veneer wood. Note that it is now CITES -listed. It is also grown as an ornamental tree, and has become naturalised in some areas in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, southeast Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. The other species have similar wood, but are less-used due to scarcity.
External links
- US Silvics Manual - Cedrela odorata
- Cedrela odorata at the IUCN
- CITES database entrance
- http://www.cites.org/eng/com/PC/11/E-PC11-14-05.pdf