"...a natural and stable ecosystem occuring under a tropical climate having a relatively continuous layer of xeromorphic grasses and sedges, and often with a discontinuous layer of low trees and shrubs."
Cited by Kricher, J., 1997. A Neotropical Companion: An Introduction to the Animals, Plants, and Ecosystems of the New World Tropics (2nd ed - 1999), Princeton University Press, 451 pp.
Oh, I care, I care! Very impressive. I wish we’d have kept track of how fast the rainbow eucalyptus grew.
These appear along the edges of ditches and canals here. I care because I didn’t know what they were called and I love to learn about plants.
Tom in Fl.
Joyce and Tom,
How neat that others care about cecropias! Thanks to both for your comments.
Mary
Hola Mary:
Thank you for showing the native plants of my province. I always read your blog because !I love plants!
Cecropia in known in Panama as guarumo, in fact, there is a town close to Alanje called Guarumal.
We’re planning to move back to Panama in the near future. We already have a house in David that I’d like to landscape with native plants that are easy to take care and don’t need much water. I hope I can find more information on native plants from the David area, when I move there.
Keep the good work!
La Chiricana
La Chiricana -
Thanks for your kind words – and for mentioning the Panamanian name for cecropias, guarumo.
Good luck with your move back to Panama. I’m sure you’ll be able to get a lot of information on native plants that will grow well in the David area by going to MIDA (Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario, for those who don’t know). The one in Bugaba is terrific.
Mary
Cecropia trees pop up like weeds here in the Amazon. Hard to believe that anyone would actually plant them! I like them because of the ant factor. Besides, they’re beautiful trees.
Steven–
Do sloths favor the Cecropias? I was told they do on the Solimões.
Hi Steven,
Actually, they grow like weeds here in Panama, too. Of course, they choose – or the birds who deposit their seeds choose – where the trees will grow. I decided these trees needed to grow in a place that would block the view of our neighbor’s house, and I was a little too impatient to wait for a bird to help me.
Thanks for your comment. I like your blog (Tropical Biodiversity – The Amazon) very much and have belatedly added a link to it.
Mary
Hi Joyce,
I realize you were directing your question to Steven because you mention one of the rivers that we northerners call the Amazon. However, I will note that wikipedia also says that the leaves, buds and shoots of Cecropia trees are among the sloth’s favorite foods. Since sloths live in rain forests and not in savannas, as far as I know, I haven’t seen one here.
Mary
Hola Miconia,
I’m sorry for the late reply. We were without Internet for 3 weeks!
We had guarumo trees sprouting up everywhere on our farm in Boquete after we cleaned it up. Our farm worker wanted to cut them all down because locally everyone thinks they attract lighting. I instructed him to leave many of them. In the short 3 years we were there some of the guarumo trees grew to 30 feet high or more. The birds loved the long bean-like fruit, and you know I like birds. A friend in Boquete also took some small trees from our farm and transplanted them on his property. They grew well and are mature trees now. So you are not the only person to transplant them.
Here, where we live now, the house we were renting had a mature guarumo tree where the top of it was eye level from the kitchen windows. As you remember, the house sat on a steep slope. One day I saw movement, looked up and saw a 3 toed sloth climbing the tree. It got to the top, ate a few leaves (particularly the newest leaves) then curled up and fell asleep. The next day at about mid-day it woke up, ate some more leaves then climbed through the trees on the property and left. It was amazing to watch! I took some fotos also.
The property of our new house now has some new guarumos growing. I’ve instructed the gardener to leave them and not cut them down. Hopefully they will be a sloth and bird attractant.
Michael -
Great story! A sloth in the suburbs.
Our cecropias are great bird attractants, too. The ants in the tree as well as the fruits seem to have great appeal.
Nice to hear from you.
Mary
I think guarumo is a favored tree of the sloth because it gives it the effect to fall asleep and was told it was slightly narcotic. Can anyone confirm this?
Also I have seen lots of guarumo in hawaii.