Cecropia Tree
Cecropia Tree
Tree
A fast-growing pioneer tree in the tropical rainforest, known for large, deeply lobed leaves favoured by sloths.
Name Story
Cecropia peltata
means “the shield-leaved tree named for a Greek king”
likely meaningThe ‘shield-shaped leaves’ part is certain; why botanists linked the tree to Cecrops, a king from Greek myth, was never recorded.
What does its name mean?
- Cecropia — named after Cecrops, the legendary first king of AthensGreek myth
- peltata — shield-shapedLatin pelta ‘small shield’
Its big round leaves join their stalk near the middle, like a shield held on a handle — that is ‘shield-shaped’. The first part nods to Cecrops, a king from Greek legend, though no one wrote down why. Its English name, ‘Trumpet Tree’, comes from its hollow stems.