Cedrela odorata

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Cedrela odorata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Meliaceae
Genus: Cedrela
Species:
C. odorata
Binomial name
Cedrela odorata
Synonyms[2]
List
  • Cedrela adenophylla Mart. [Invalid]
  • Cedrela amara Goebel [Invalid]
  • Cedrela brachystachya (C.DC.) C.DC.
  • Cedrela brownei Loefl. [Invalid]
  • Cedrela brownii Loefl. ex Kuntze
  • Cedrela caldasana C.DC.
  • Cedrela cedro Loefl.
  • Cedrela cubensis Bisse
  • Cedrela glaziovii C.DC.
  • Cedrela guianensis A.Juss.
  • Cedrela hassleri (C.DC.) C.DC.
  • Cedrela huberi Ducke
  • Cedrela imparipinnata C.DC.
  • Cedrela longipes S.F.Blake
  • Cedrela mexicana M.Roem.
  • Cedrela mexicana var. puberula C.DC.
  • Cedrela mourae C.DC.
  • Cedrela occidentalis C.DC. & Rose
  • Cedrela odorata Ruiz & Pav. [Illegitimate]
  • Cedrela odorata Vell. Misapplied
  • Cedrela odorata var. xerogeiton Rizzini & Heringer
  • Cedrela palustris Handro
  • Cedrela paraguariensis Mart.
  • Cedrela paraguariensis var. brachystachya C.DC.
  • Cedrela paraguariensis var. hassleriC.DC.
  • Cedrela paraguariensis var. multijuga C.DC.
  • Cedrela rotunda S.F.Blake
  • Cedrela sintenisii C.DC.
  • Cedrela vellozoana M.Roem.
  • Cedrela whitfordii S.F.Blake
  • Cedrela yucatana S.F.Blake
  • Cedrus odorata Mill.
  • Surenus brownei (Loefl.) Kuntze [Invalid]
  • Surenus glaziovii (C.DC.) Kuntze
  • Surenus guianensis (A.Juss.) Kuntze
  • Surenus mexicana (M.Roem.) Kuntze
  • Surenus paraguariensis (Mart.) Kuntze
  • Surenus vellozoana (M.Roem.) Kuntze

Cedrela odorata, commonly known as Spanish cedar, Cuban cedar, or cedro in

Neotropics
.

Classification

The genus Cedrela has undergone two major systematic revisions since 1960. The most recent revision reduced the number of species in the genus to seven (Styles, 1981). Cedrela odorata L., contains 28 other synonyms, including C. mexicana M. J. Roem. The taxon "C. angustifolia," a very vigorous type now in demand because of its apparent resistance to the shootborer, was left in an indeterminate status due to insufficient herbarium material. The result is that C. odorata as now constituted is a species showing a high degree of population variation.

Distribution and habitat

Close-up of the trunk

Cedro is a tree of the

Galapagos Islands[4] where it forms a barrier to the migration of tortoises.[5] Cedro 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 3,000 millimetres (120 in) or on sites with heavy or waterlogged soils. Individual trees are generally scattered in mixed semi-evergreen or semi-deciduous forests dominated by other species. Mahogany (Swietenia sp.), a close relative, is often found with cedro and both suffer damage from the same pest, the mahogany shootborer (Hypsipyla grandella
).

Description

The tree is

ranging in height from 10 to 30 m (33 to 98 ft). The trunk has a thick grey–brown bark, with longitudinal irregular grain. Pinnately compound leaves, grouped towards the end of the branches, 15–50 cm (5.9–19.7 in) long, with pairs of scythe-shaped leaflets, lanceolate to oblong, 7–15 cm (2.8–5.9 in) × 3–5 cm (1.2–2.0 in) with the base obliquely truncated and asymmetric.

Uses

Cedrela odorata is the most commercially important and widely distributed species in the genus Cedrela. Known as Spanish cedar in English commerce, the aromatic wood is in high demand in the American tropics because it is naturally

electric guitars. The wood is the traditional choice for making the neck of flamenco and classical guitars.[6]

See also

References

External links