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Cecropia pachystachya
Urticaceae FAMILY

Cecropia pachystachya

Cecropia pachystachya

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

The branches and leaf petioles of Cecropia species are often hollow and can harbour stinging ants. The trees attract the ants by means of producing a honey-like sap and the ants respond by working to keep the tree free of leaf-eating pests - which can include humans[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthFast

A plant of tropical and subtropical areas, where it is found at elevations up to about 1,100 metres. Prefers a sunny position and a well-drained soil[2, 3]. A fast-growing, but short-lived tree[2]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a sunny seedbed as soon as it is ripe[3]. The seed usually starts to sprout within 25 - 40 days, though germination rates are low[3]. Pot the seedlings up into individual containers when they are 5 - 6cm tall[3]. Greenwood cuttings in a frame[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cecropia+pachystachya>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Raintree Nutrition - Tropical Plant Database — http://www.rain-tree.com/plants.htm ↩︎Detailed information on the medicinal uses of more than two hundred rainforest plants, mainly from S. America, with basic descriptions of the plants, their other uses etc.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Brazilian Trees. Volume 1. 4th Edition. — Lorenzi. H. · Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil. · 2002 · ISBN 85-86714-17-8 ↩︎Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
  4. [4]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  5. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎