''Cedrela'' is a genus of several species in the mahogany family, Meliaceae. They are evergreen or dry-season deciduous trees with pinnate

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

, native to the tropical and subtropical New World, from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina.

Taxonomy

These species are currently accepted: *'' Cedrela angustifolia'' Sessé & Moc. ex C.DC. – Argentina,

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru *'' Cedrela discolor'' S.F. Blake *''

Cedrela dugesii ''Cedrela'' is a genus of several species in the mahogany family, Meliaceae. They are evergreen or dry-season deciduous trees with pinnate leaves, native to the tropical and subtropical New World, from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina. ...

'' S.Watson *''

Cedrela fissilis ''Cedrela fissilis'' is a species of tree in the family Meliaceae. It is native to Central and South America, where it is distributed from Costa Rica to Argentina.Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

south to Argentina *'' Cedrela kuelapensis'' T.D. Penn. & Daza *'' Cedrela longipetiolulata'' Harms *'' Cedrela molinensis'' T.D. Penn. & Reynel *'' Cedrela monroensis'' T.D. Penn. *''

Cedrela montana ''Cedrela montana'' is a species of tree in the Meliaceae family. It is found in the Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru between 1050 – 3600 meters of elevation. Description Trees up to 20 m (~60 ft) tall, trunk with fissured b ...

'' Moritz ''ex'' Turcz –

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

& Ecuador *'' Cedrela nebulosa'' T.D. Penn. & Daza *''

Cedrela odorata ''Cedrela odorata'' is a commercially important species of tree in the chinaberry family, Meliaceae, commonly known as Spanish cedar or Cuban cedar; it is also known as cedro in Spanish. Classification The genus ''Cedrela'' has undergone two m ...

'' L. – West Indies and from 24° N in Mexico south to 28° S in Argentina *'' Cedrela oaxacensis'' C.DC. & Rose *'' Cedrela saltensis'' M.A. Zapater & del Castillo *'' Cedrela salvadorensis'' Standl. – Central America *''

Cedrela tonduzii ''Cedrela tonduzii'' (edar, cedrillo, cedro, cedro cebolla, cedro colorado, cedro dulce, cedro granadino, cedro macho, cedro pochote, West Indian cedar) is a monoecious tree that grows up to 40 m and can reach a diameter at breast height of ...

'' C.DC. – Central America *''

Cedrela weberbaueri ''Cedrela'' is a genus of several species in the mahogany family, Meliaceae. They are evergreen or dry-season deciduous trees with pinnate leaves, native to the tropical and subtropical New World, from southern Mexico south to northern Argentina. ...

'' Harms

Distribution and habitat

'' 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. angustifolia'' and '' C. montana'' occur at higher altitudes in moister conditions, and are evergreen or only briefly deciduous. Semillas de Cedro

Uses

'' is a very important timber tree, producing a lightweight fragrant wood with very good resistance to termites 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 boxes, as well as being used for general outdoor and construction work, paneling and veneer wood. It is also used for the necks and linings (interior strips of wood that attach the top and bottom of the guitar to the sides) of classical guitars, as well as bodies and necks of some electric guitars. Some species are now CITES-listed, in particular ''Cedrela odorata''. It is also grown as an ornamental tree, and has become

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

in some areas in Africa, southeast Asia and Hawaii. The other species have similar wood, but are less-used due to scarcity.

References

External links

CITES database entrance
{{Taxonbar, from=Q162792 Meliaceae genera