''Cecropia pachystachya'', commonly known as Ambay pumpwood, is a species of

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

in the family

Urticaceae The Urticaceae are a family, the nettle family, of flowering plants. The family name comes from the genus ''Urtica''. The Urticaceae include a number of well-known and useful plants, including nettles in the genus ''Urtica'', ramie (''Boehmeri ...

. It is native to Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil where it grows near the edges of moist forests.

Description

''Cecropia pachystachya'' is a small evergreen tree growing to a height of about , and a trunk diameter of . The tree has an open structure, with a small number of branches forking at an obtuse angle, and often forms a parasol-like shape. The twigs are hollow and are filled with

mucilage Mucilage is a thick, gluey substance produced by nearly all plants and some microorganisms. These microorganisms include protists which use it for their locomotion. The direction of their movement is always opposite to that of the secretion of m ...

, and both twigs and branches exude a mucilaginous sap when damaged. The large leaves are almost circular, and are deeply divided into nine to ten lobes which are separated by gaps of two or three centimetres. The upper surfaces of the leaves are rough and the lower surfaces are felted with pale-coloured hairs. It is a

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

species, male and female flowers occurring on separate trees. The tree has a mutualistic relationship with ants from the genus '' Azteca'' which protect the tree from

herbivory A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...

. To facilitate this, it provides nourishment for the ants in the form of Müllerian bodies, glandular areas on the leaf stalks that produce oily secretions,

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

from the female flowers and

pearl bodies A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

on the surfaces of the leaves.

Distribution and habitat

This tree mostly found in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina at altitudes of up to about . It grows near the margins of humid primary forests and in clearings and secondary growth forests. It is a pioneering, fast-growing but short-lived species that sprouts readily in recently cleared areas of forest.

Uses

''Cecropia pachystachya'' is used locally for its timber, which is lightweight and suitable for making toys, boxes, pencils and plywood. Fibres from the bark are used for making sails and the mucilage can be used to make glue. The tree has many uses in traditional medicine and contains a number of bioactive compounds. The leaves have anti-inflammatory properties and have shown antibacterial activity in the laboratory against various bacteria. The leaves and other parts of the tree are used to treat respiratory complaints, oedema, kidney disorders, diabetes, Parkinson's disease and high blood pressure, as well as a number of other conditions.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15546547 pachystachya Trees of Argentina Trees of Brazil Trees of Paraguay