Plant Story

This species is similar to the guarumo (Cecropia spp.) because of its lobed leaves, but different because of its trunk, which does not have any ring-shaped markings. The tree reaches up to 35 meters high,  has reddish bark and adventitious roots. Its flowers are tiny, and its fruits are reddish or brown and attract birds and arboreal mammals. Those fruits are also edible to humans. Because of the roughness of its leaves, it has been used as an abrasive to clean pots. This species is common throughout humid forests at low elevations, and has been recorded from Guatemala to Brazil and Bolivia; in Costa Rica it grows commonly throughout both the Atlantic and Pacific slopes.