Cedrela odorata 
System : Terrestrial
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Plantae
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliopsida
Sapindales
Meliaceae
- General
- Distribution
- Impact
- Management
- Bibliography
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Common name
Barbados cedar (English), sita hina (English, Tonga), cedro cubano (Spanish, Galapagos Is.), Spanish cedar (English), cigar box cedar (English), West Indian cedar (English), Mexican cedar (English), cedro (Portuguese, Brazil), cèdre acajou (French), cèdre des barbares (French)
Synonym
Similar species
Summary
Cedrela odorata is a native of the West Indies and from Central America to South America, including the Brazilian Atlantic and Amazon Rain Forest. It has been introduced to many Pacific Islands and South Africa. This fast growing timber tree has become invasive in some areas, especially those disturbed by cutting.
Species Description
Cedrela odorata is a \"tree up to 40m high with a diameter larger than 2m; leaves up to 80cm long, with (5-) 6-7 (-14) pairs of leaflets with a heavy odor of onions or garlic; leaflets ovate to lanceolate, acute to rounded at base, acute, acuminate or obtuse at tip, 8-20cm long, 2.5-5.5 (-8)cm broad, generally glabrous; flowers in clusters at the extremes of the branches, with a heavy malty odour, 6-9mm long; petals greenish-cream in bud, opeining white; fruit 2.5-4.5cm lolng, septicidally 5-valved; seeds flat, chestnut-brown, about 25mm long and 6-7mm broad.\" (Adams, 1972, in PIER, 2003; CATIE, 1997)
Notes
Introduced as a possible timber tree to Yap and possibly other islands in Micronesia. Introduced as a timber tree to Tonga - should be monitored for possible spread (PIER, 2003). An invasive species in South Africa. Also listed on the in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as it is threatened in parts of the Americas due to over exploitation.
Lifecycle Stages
Germination is rapid, usually completed within 2 to 4 weeks. Trees begin to fruit at an age of 10 to 12 years. In natural forest, high seedling densities are common near fruiting trees shortly after the beginning of the rainy season, but most of these seedlings disappear by the middle of the rains or a little later; this high natural mortality may be due to shade or competition but is thought to be partly due to damping off or other root problems (Cintron, 1990).
Uses
Widely planted as a timber species for the fabrication of furniture, doors and windows, (PIER, 2003; CATIE, 1997); the bark is used for medicinal purposes (CATIE, 1997).
Habitat Description
Roadsides, pastures and disturbed areas to 1025m - 1220m (3360ft-4000ft) elevation in Jamaica (Adams, 1972, in PIER, 2003). In the moist uplands of the Galapagos Is. C. odorata is always found naturally on well-drained soils, often but not exclusively on limestone. It tolerates a long dry season but does not flourish in areas of rainfall greater than about 3000mm (120 in) or on sites with heavy or waterlogged soils (Cintron, 1990).
Reproduction
The large and much-branched inflorescences bear numerous small, five-part, symmetrical greenish-white flowers. Trees are monoecious; male and female flowers are borne on the same inflorescence but the species is proterogynous (female flowers open first). Fruit development takes about 9 or 10 months and fruits ripen during the next dry season. The fruit, a large woody capsule, is borne near branch tips. Fruits ripen, split, and shed seeds while still attached to the parent tree (Cintron, 1990).
Fruits open from the top downward to release 40 to 50 winged seeds when ripe. Seed weight is about 8 to 10 percent of dry fruit weight. One kilogram (2.2 lb) contains 20,000 to 50,000 seeds (9,100 to 22,700/lb, approximately). Seeds are 20 to 25mm (0.75 to 1.0 in) long, wing included, and are wind dispersed. Vigorous germination is the rule, with seed viability reportedly up to 90 percent (Cintron, 1990).
Fruits open from the top downward to release 40 to 50 winged seeds when ripe. Seed weight is about 8 to 10 percent of dry fruit weight. One kilogram (2.2 lb) contains 20,000 to 50,000 seeds (9,100 to 22,700/lb, approximately). Seeds are 20 to 25mm (0.75 to 1.0 in) long, wing included, and are wind dispersed. Vigorous germination is the rule, with seed viability reportedly up to 90 percent (Cintron, 1990).
Pathway
Introduced as a timber tree to a number of Pacific Islands (PIER, 2003).
Principal source: Pacific Islands Ecosystems at Risk, (PIER)
Compiler: IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG)
Review: Dr. Andreas Ebert. Coordinator, Plant Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza, CATIE Costa Rica.
Publication date: 2006-03-23
Recommended citation: Global Invasive Species Database (2024) Species profile: Cedrela odorata. Downloaded from http://iucngisd.org/gisd/speciesname/Cedrela+odorata on 23-11-2024.
Management Info
Chemical: In the Galapogos hack and squirt application of 50% Tordon 22K has been found successful (Gardener, 2002).
