Dictionary - Definition of Cecropia

Definition: Cecropia


Part of Speech	Definition
Noun	1. Large genus of tropical American trees that yield a bast fiber used for cordage and bark used in tanning; milky juice yields caoutchouc.[Wordnet] 2. North American silkworm moth; larvae feed on the leaves of forest trees.[Wordnet].
Source: WordNet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.		Top

Date "Cecropia" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1622. (references)

Specialty Definition: Cecropia

Domain	Definition
Antiquities	Cecropia. See Athenae; Attica; Cecrops. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.		Top

Common Expressions: Cecropia

Expressions	Definition
Cecropia moth	North American silkworm moth; larvae feed on the leaves of forest trees. Source: Wordnet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
Cecropia peltata	Tropical American tree with large peltate leaves and hollow stems. Source: Wordnet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
Genus Cecropia	Large genus of tropical American trees that yield a bast fiber used for cordage and bark used in tanning; milky juice yields caoutchouc. Source: Wordnet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
Hyalophora cecropia	North American silkworm moth; larvae feed on the leaves of forest trees. Source: Wordnet 3.0 Copyright © 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.		Top

Specialty Expressions: Cecropia

Expressions	Domain	Definition
Cecropia obtusifolia	Botanical	The leaves, eaten by stock, are believed to be a cure for diabetes. Wool from the stems and leaves is smoked like tobacco (!). The bark is used for making rope. The trunks are used for water troughs. (references)
Cecropia peltata	Botanical	The buds serve as a potherb. Indians eat the pith. The caustic sap is used to remove warts. The wood makes good tinder and the ashes contain lime. The trunk is used for water troughs. The bark is used for cordage, mats, and the make cloth. The leaves are used to treat hemorrhage, liver ailments, dropsy, and dysentery, and are smoked like tobacco in the Pearl Islands (!). Chips of the wood have been mixed with concrete in Panama to make a paneling which is said to be economical, attractive and useful (!). On young trees there is often a caterpillar which the Choco decapitate. This yields a red "magic-marker", the resultant stain, said to be a little caustic, lasting longer than Genipa stain (!). Sap of Cecropia virgusa is considered a good lubricant for wooden instruments, such as cane presses, etc. (references)
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.			Top

Extended Definition: Cecropia

Cecropia

This article is about the tropical plant. It is also an old name for the Acropolis, Athens. In North America, the moth species Hyalophora cecropia is known as a "Cecropia Moth".

Cecropia

Cecropia obtusifolia

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Rosales
Family:	Urticaceae
Genus:	Cecropia Loefl.

Species

About 25 species, including:
Cecropia adenopodus
Cecropia glaziovii
Cecropia hololeucan
Cecropia insignis
Cecropia myrtluca
Cecropia obtusifolia
Cecropia pachystachia
Cecropia palmata
Cecropia peltata
Cecropia polyphlebia

Cecropia is a genus of about 25 species of trees in the nettle family Urticaceae. They are native to tropical South and Central America, where they form one of the most recognisable components of the rainforest, easily identified by their large, circular palmately lobed leaves about 30-40 cm diameter, deeply divided into 7-11 lobes.

Etymology and uses

In the past they were commonly classified in their own family (Cecropiaceae) or in the mulberry family Moraceae, but recent genetic evidence carried out by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has shown they are within the Urticaceae.

Cecropia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Hypercompe icasia.

The genus is named after King Cecrops I, first King of Athens.

Cecropia glazioui shows antidepressant-like activity in rats.^[1]

References

"ScienceDirect - Phytomedicine : Antidepressant-like effect of Cecropia glazioui Sneth and its constituents – In vivo and in vitro characterization of the underlying mechanism". www.sciencedirect.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-03.

Cecropia spp. (Raintree Nutrition - Tropical Plant Database)

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Cecropia". Image Credit.
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Topics by Level of Interest: Cecropia
Topics sorted by level of Interest	Level (1=low, 600=high)	Topics sorted Alphabetically	Level (1=low, 600=high)
Hyalophora cecropia	24	Cecropia	11
Cecropia	11	Cecropia longipes	4
Cecropia obtusifolia	5	Cecropia maxima	5
Cecropia pastasana	5	Cecropia maxonii	4
Cecropia velutinella	5	Cecropia multiflora	4
Cecropia maxima	5	Cecropia obtusifolia	5
Cecropia longipes	4	Cecropia pastasana	5
Cecropia utcubambana	4	Cecropia tubulosa	4
Cecropia multiflora	4	Cecropia utcubambana	4
Cecropia tubulosa	4	Cecropia velutinella	5
Cecropia maxonii	4	Hyalophora cecropia	24
Source: the editor, created by/for EVE to gauge likely levels of human interest in linguistically triggered topics (compiled across various sources, such as Wikipedia and specialty expression glosses).

Synonyms: Cecropia
Position	Synonyms (sorted by strength)
Expression	Cecropia moth, genus cecropia.
Source: Eve, based on meta analysis.		Top