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Cecropias or Trumpet Tree
Cecropia obtusifolia
10.34, -84.8
Field Notes
Description:
Saw these "fruit" on the top of a tree in the Monteverde rainforest, looking down from the canopy walk in Selvatura Park. There was a black and white butterfly that loved the fruit.
Common local names include yarumo or yagrumo and Spanish-speaking countries in Central American, Mexico, the Caribbean, Colombia and Ecuador commonly use the vernacular name, “guarumo”.
Habitat:
Seen on the canopy walk at Selvatura Park in the Monteverde Cloud forest.
The genus consists of pioneer trees in the more or less humid parts of the Neotropics. The genus is native to the American tropics, where it is one of the most recognizable components of the rainforest.
Notes:
http://www.rain-tree.com/cecropia.htm#.UpI-iWQY1e4
Indian tribes in the Amazon use embauba for its anti-inflammatory properties-typically for rheumatic, kidney and lung inflammations. The leaf is made into a tea and used widely for asthma and other upper respiratory complaints, as well as for diabetes. It also has been used for sores on the mouth and tongue. The Palikur indigenous people of Guyana wrap the large leaves around bone fractures, bruises and wounds, and use embauba to disinfect the genitalia and alleviate pain after childbirth.
In herbal medicine systems, embauba is used widely throughout Central and South America. In Brazil it is used for all types of respiratory complaints (such as asthma, bronchitis, coughs, whooping cough, and pneumonia). It is also used for diabetes, Parkinson's disease, kidney disorders, high blood pressure, and to increase the contraction strength of the heart muscle. It is considered effective against Parkinson disease in Colombia, where it also is used as a substitute for digitalis-containing plants (for heart problems), and to facilitate childbirth and menstruation. The leaf is used in Guatemalan herbal medicine systems for asthma, edema, rheumatism, diabetes, fever, atherosclerosis, and gonorrhea. The plant is popular in Mexico, where it is used for diabetes, coughs, inflammation, diarrhea, bladder irritation, asthma, obesity, liver disorders, high blood pressure, and warts.
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