Cecropia peltata- Snakewood Tree

[Eric in Orlando]

Cecropia peltata is a rainforest tree native from southern Mexico to Brazil. They are colonizing trees and very fast growing. They are known as Snakewood or Cecropia Trees.

We have several planted out. They were seedlings acquired from Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Maimi. They were about a foot tall when planted in Aug. 2005. They grew to 30ft in less than 3 years then have slowed down and developed a canopy. This one is around 35ft tall

Here is the inflorescence

[Eric in Orlando]

The trunks develop prop roots

Nice palmate leaves, they sort of resemeble Tetrapanax, Rice Paper Plant

[Stevetoad]

i loike that!!!

[Nate DeWees]

Thanks for the pics, they are beautiful trees. I recently returned from spending several months in the bush of southern Belize, and those Cecropia species were everywhere at low elevations. They had to compete with large stands of Attalea Cohune, with an understory of Chamaedorea ernesti-augustii, C. pinnatifrons, and C. tepejilote (great palms in Belize!). The local people called them Trumpet trees, and the fruit they produce are a major food source for an endangered bird species (which name escapes me). Thanks for bringing back memories.

[Eric in Orlando]

I read a lot of parrots feed on the fruit. And sloths on the leaves.

[Herbert]

Very interesting tree.

Thanks Eric.

Herbert

[palmmermaid]

Eric,

On a recent trip through with Joel Crippen - the head horticulturist there - I mentioned that I loved these trees and was admiring one in the garden. It had fruit on it. He told me it was edible and his kids call them iguana toes. I tried the fruit and it was pretty tasty. Now I just have to find a tree or I will pick up a few seeds once they are ripe in the garden.

I love these trees. Any of the ones with big leaves are wonderful.

[Kim]

"Colonizing trees" -- there's the rub. These are beautiful in their own habitat, but in Hawaii they have become a pest. They pop up everywhere and will grow 30 feet in a year. There is a real monster (beautiful, yes, but scary big) on the property next to mine so I am constantly removing "seedlings" -- usually around 5 or 6 ft tall. Those roots grow into the lava and won't let go. I have to use a pick to get them out, or they will re-grow from the base.

[fastfeat]

Eric,

On a recent trip through with Joel Crippen - the head horticulturist there - I mentioned that I loved these trees and was admiring one in the garden. It had fruit on it. He told me it was edible and his kids call them iguana toes. I tried the fruit and it was pretty tasty. Now I just have to find a tree or I will pick up a few seeds once they are ripe in the garden.

I love these trees. Any of the ones with big leaves are wonderful.

Fruits are only found on female trees, and can be messy when plentiful. I'd plant it away from patios, driveways to avoid mess. Probably best to plant two or three seedlings (often plentiful around adults, esp. on disturbed soils) to increase your odds. You can always cut down the males later once you sex them.

[palmmermaid]

Fastfeat,

Thanks for the information. Well, if I can find a seed pod, I will plant several and wait until I can sex them before thinning out the males and keeping a female. I have a spot for it away from the house and patio. I am planting trees for shade. I had none when we bought the house and now I am starting to get some in some areas. Canopy just takes so long!

[Cindy Adair]

I do like these trees even though there are so many on our farm that we could spare a few.... I've tried to find seed (for Ari) and the presumed seeding structures are so high up even our pole fruit picker won't reach. I'm not seen anything so far on the ground below that looks like seed. I need to do some research, look more closely and perhaps need to live there full time to catch ripe seeds?

[edbrown_III]

Eric,

My regards for starting this thread I had no idea you could grow these in Florida --- I had seen them in El Yunque and El TOro but figured they were high tropicals -- I have pseudo canopy of Cecropia like plants : Castor beans and Tapioca trees . I will have to located some plants and see if they are 9a tolerant.

Best regards

Ed

[Eric in Orlando]

There are mature ones at Fairchild and they were semi-pests for years after Hurricane Andrew. After the hurricane had opened a lot of the canopy, the Ceropias were coming up like crazy. That is what they do in habitat, light gap fillers.

[Kostas]

Awesome tree Eric,thank you very much for sharing photos!!! I have long wanted to have this one but I was readings it's not hardy lower than 30F. How much cold has yours seen?

Thank you very much in advance!

[Eric in Orlando]

The coldest they have seen are 28-29F. But they are growing under high tree canopy so probably saw 30-31F.

[Jeff in St Pete]

I like these trees a lot and have seen sloths in them many times eating the leaves. As Kim pointed out though, they can be very invasive in the tropics.

Here is a photo of one that popped up about 6 months ago and now it's over 20 feet tall (6 meters). It's growing on the hillside below my house and will have to be removed soon before it gets too big. There are several species of Cecropia in Costa Rica, so I am not sure about the species of this one. The leaves look a little different than the one that Eric is growing.

[Al in Kona]

There is a very eye catching beautiful Cecropia that has silvery white leaves. Does anyone know what its species name is? I've not seen it in cultivation anywhere, only in habitat. I'd love to be able to try grow it.

[Kostas]

Thank you very much for the cold hardiness info Eric! If they saw 28-29C undamaged,they could do well here too under high tree canopy. So better wait for it to form before i try them out!

[Pedro 65]

We only kept 1 of our larger specimens as even here in the cool sub tropics if you have a male and female Cecropia, areas quickly become full of these easy germinators and fast growers. The leaves in the 1st few years are "Massive", it was a real talking point years ago when we planted a few but now glad we only have one growing.

.

[KrisKupsch]

If Cecropia took over this area it would be nothing short of surprising.

[aussiearoids]

Local weed guy nearly had a heart attack when hwe found one of these growing beside the road near Mission BeaCH Police Station . Another super weed in the wet tropics .

[KrisKupsch]

They are coming up down here too, but if they compete with Camphor Laurel then they are a god send.

[Pedro 65]

They are coming up down here too, but if they compete with Camphor Laurel then they are a god send.

Kris my thought exactly......, Cecropiia is easy to kill where Camphors need so much work and chemicals ( which Im not into ) to kill.. The new real Devil of a Tree weed on the Far Nth Coast now is the "Devils Fig" (Solanum Hispidium).. Couldnt beleive when i saw one of your neighbours selling these at the Channon merkets a few years ago..

Im frequented by weed inspectors ( most know" very very little about trees" ) often telling me "whats on the weed lists" ( Im very aware of whats on the weeds lists, when they look at trees that ive planted here they have "No Idea' what sp any of them are.. They just love to drive in walk around and enjoy my gardens i think, ( they are actually meant to call before they visit, but they never do )....., Know that Camphors are uncontrolable and many of the hillsides that look like rainforest to tourists...These hills are "Pure Camphor laurels" ( I know you are very well aware Kris but just letting readers know) and they are know in the too hard basket for weed inspectors and dont give a stuff about them, they just love driving around all day, forcing themselves onto private properties hassling people.. ....., When i ask them why dont they (since they are paid so much) go and control the ares which are being overtaken by Solonum Hispidium. ( along roadsides) They try and say in "an authoritarian voice" (which is laughable) say "this is up to the council to control, it isnt our job to control roadside outbreaks" If they really gave a shit, they would stop and rid the new young trees, but i spose this would slow down their day which is full of driving all over the beautiful countryside.

[KrisKupsch]

Solanum chrysotrichum you mean ? It has had a name change. Dont get me started I know them more than you might know!

[Pedro 65]

Solanum chrysotrichum you mean ? It has had a name change. Dont get me started I know them more than you might know!

I wasnt aware of the botanical ending name change, who cares, its still a Devil and a bloodt prickly, thorny one as well.... , Im not trying to get you started Kris, i will end here as Solanum Chrysotrichum ( "I Know You Are A Clued Up Guy") is really spreading at a very very rapid rate here on the FNC and people need to be employed full time to rid them, and pay them well just as much or more than the" drive by weedys"..

[KrisKupsch]

Had one pop up in the backyard, I have left it just to make sure it isnt S.torvum. To tell the truth I dont know what to think about weed management in this area. The government says they havent much money but I know in myself that given $50,000 a year I could personally eradicate half a dozen problem species and do far more than the agency ever could. It just disgusts me to see nothing being done time and time again. We are about to see another Asteraceae take over spoil areas and natural herblands/dunes/rock pavements within the next 5 years but I have no confidence in it being halted. Whats the point? Not a single species has been exterminated despite hundreds of thousands of $ being spent. People spend their entire lives combating weeds but whilst they dedicate efforts on x number of species they are actually allowing niches for all the others they are either ignoring or have no clue about. Sometimes I wish I didnt know about the influx of new species, then I wouldnt care. The simple truth is there's hundreds of new species eatablishing in the wet subtropics and whilst thousands are spent on chasing one-few species, many dozens are establishing.

[stevethegator]

I saw these all over the eastern Caribbean when I was there last December. Our guides on St. Kitts said the locals wait for the leaves to fall off and turn brown, and then they make a medicinal tea out of them.

Interestingly, I saw the leaves on the ground in primary cloud forest on the upper slopes of St. Kitts' highest peak. I also saw them in some pretty serious rainforest on Dominca. Yet, in Puerto Rico they were growing in rather exposed areas in El Yunque. Do they colonize and then later become a standard rainforest species?

I didn't know you could grow them in Florida, but with the google search bringing up "100 most invasive species worldwide" I think I may have to pass.

[The Silent Seed]

I'd love to get my hands on a bunch of these! One man's weeds are another's desire!

[lrnasd90]

I know this is a very old post, but does anyone know where I can buy one of these trees or some seeds? 

[Hillizard]

11 minutes ago, lrnasd90 said:

I know this is a very old post, but does anyone know where I can buy one of these trees or some seeds? 

You might check with Top Tropicals and put yourself on their 'wish list.' https://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/cecropia_peltata.htm

[The Silent Seed]

Nobody responded to my 2014 query either - good luck! I'm still looking, also. 

[lrnasd90]

We just live in the wrong places I guess. Like you said one man's weed... 

[The Silent Seed]

I couldn't find any even when on a plant trip in Florida shopping around - nobody seems to propagate them, which is very surprising. 

Edited March 15, 2018 by santoury

[Eric in Orlando]

Excelsa Gardens in Loxahatchee had some huge ones, maybe in 45gal. pots.

[lrnasd90]

Well I think shipping a 45 gallon pot would be beyond what I can do. I was hoping for some seeds or 1-3 gallon pot. I am hoping to be making a trip to Florida later this year, guess I will keep a good lookout. I thought surely someone would have some growing in their yard. I just love the huge leaves. 

[The Silent Seed]

Likewise! 

There's a monster at Redlands too. 

[Missi]

A nursery on Pine Island has them available at affordable sizes. The name has escaped me at the moment, though. I keep meaning to get up there to purchase one.

[The Silent Seed]

When the name comes to you, I'd love to know for when I go down there next.

 

[chinandega81]

I just bought one in a 1 gallon pot from Richard Snyder's Nursery near Homestead.

[Silas_Sancona]

57 minutes ago, chinandega81 said:

I just bought one in a 1 gallon pot from Richard Snyder's Nursery near Homestead.

Nice find.. You going to try it out in Brawley?