Common Name: Snakewood Tree

General Information

Snakewood tree is an evergreen tree usually growing to about 10 metres tall, but exceptionally to 30 metres[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its edible fruit and leaves. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental, being valued for its large, umbrella-shaped canopy that casts little shade and so allows other plants to be grown right up to its trunk[].

Known Hazards

The branches and leaf petioles of Cecropia species are often hollow and can harbour stinging ants. The trees attract the ants by means of producing a honey-like sap and the ants respond by working to keep the tree free of leaf-eating pests - which can include humans[].

Botanical References

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Range

S. America - Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Surinam.

Habitat

Old secondary forest and open patches in primary rainforest[]. Often found along riverbanks[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in a sunny position in a well-drained soil[].
A fast-growing, though short-lived species[, ].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[]. The ripe fruits have the consistency and somewhat the flavour of figs[]. They can be used as a filling for cakes[].

Young buds - cooked and eaten as a potherb[]. The report does not specify if it is the flower or the leaf buds[].

Medicinal

The leaves are valued in traditional medicine for their anti-inflammatory properties and are often used to treat conditions such as rheumatism, kidney and lung inflammations. A tea made from the leaves is used to treat asthma and other upper respiratory complaints, as well as for diabetes[].
Applied externally, the tea has been used for sores on the mouth and tongue[].
A poultice of the large leaves is wrapped around bone fractures, bruises and wounds[].

The plant is known to contain glycosides, lipids, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, cardenolids, triterpenes, polyphenols, steroids, and resins[].
Ambain (a glycoside) and cecropin (an alkaloid) are said to have cardiotonic and diuretic properties[].
The flavonoids and proanthocyanidins have been shown to exhibit hypotensive activity by promoting vasodilation and acting as a diuretic[].
Leaf extracts have demonstrated pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory, and antispasmodic activities[].
Water extracts of the leaf have been shown to lower blood sugar levels[].
The leaf has been reported to have in vitro antibacterial activity against various bacteria (such as Staphylococcus, E. coli, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, and Shigella). Water extracts seemed to have much more biological activity against bacteria than methanol or ethanol extracts in vitro[].
An ethanol extract of the leaf and stem was reported to have in vitro antifungal activity, but water extracts were inactive (which suggests that antibacterial actions are derived from different chemicals than those providing antifungal actions)[].

The plant is widely used in modern herbalism, especially in the Americas. It is considered to be analgesic, antiasthmatic, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, cardiotonic, diuretic, emmenagogue, hypoglycaemic, hypotensive, mildly laxative and vasodilator[]. It is used for all types of respiratory complaints including asthma, bronchitis, coughs, whooping cough, and pneumonia; oedema, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, kidney disorders, high blood pressure, and to increase the contraction strength of the heart muscle; to facilitate childbirth and menstruation[].

The latex is considered corrosive and astringent. It is used topically against warts, calluses, herpes (and other venereal diseases), and skin ulcers[].

The bark is used to reduce mucus[].

The roots are used to treat bile complaints[].

The fruit is considered emollient[].

Agroforestry Uses:

With their sparse canopy and attractive foliage that is green above and silver-felted below, members of this genus generally provide a dramatic canopy but only cast a very light shade, allowing other plants to be grown right up to the base of their trunk[]. Many members of the genus can be used as pioneer species when developing a new woodland[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a sunny seedbed as soon as it is ripe[]. The seed usually starts to sprout within 25 - 40 days, though germination rates are low[]. Pot the seedlings up into individual containers when they are 5 - 6cm tall[].
Greenwood cuttings in a frame[].

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