Galapagos Species Database

Taxon category: Accepted

Syn.: Cedrela mexicana M. Roem.; Pennington et al. (1981) as Cedrela adenophylla Mart.

Origin: Introduced - established

Year of first record: 1965

Year of introduction: 1950

Mode of introduction: Intentional

Introduction Pathway: Intentional

Subpathway: Agriculture/Horticulture

Introduced status: Naturalized

Invasive status: Invasive

Impact in Galapagos: In Galapagos the tree is very invasive. The seedlings are shade tolerant and grow up through the native canopy where adults shade out other plants. Chemicals produced from their roots also inhibit the growth of other plants (allelopathy).

Control methods elsewhere: The seedlings should be pulled manually, while adults can be cut and the sprouts controlled with chemicals. 

Known Pest elsewhere: Tropics and Pacific Islands

Trophic role: Primary producer

Reproductive biology: Individuals begin to bear fruit from 10 years of age. The fruit is a capsule that opens when mature, releasing the winged seeds that are dispersed by wind over long distances.

Growth form: Trees

Distribution origin: Central Mexico, Brazil

Economic Use: Used for timber.

Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.

Distribution: Floreana, Isabela, San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, originally from Central Mexico, Brazil.

• Brako, L. Zarucchi,J.L. (1993) Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45: i–xl, 1–1286.
• Chavez, J. (1993) Diagnostico de la Agricultura y la Ganader¡a en la Provincia de Galapagos. Tesis.
• CONABIO (2009) Catálogo taxonómico de especies de México. Cap. nat. México 1.
• D'Arcy, W.G. (1987) Flora of Panama. Checklist and Index. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 17(1): i–xxx, 1–328; 18(2): i–ix, 1–672.
• Flores, E. (1985) Censo de Plantas Introducidas desde el Canal de Itabaca hasta Puerto Ayora. Tesis de Ingeniero Forestal, Univ. Técnica Luis Vargas Torres, Esmeraldas: 1-132.
• Funk, V.T. Hollowell, T., Berry, P., Kelloff, C. & Alexander, S.N. (2007) Checklist of the Plants of the Guiana Shield (Venezuela: Amazonas, Bolivar, Delta Amacuro; Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana). Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 55: 1-584.
• Gardener, M. Atkinson, R., Rueda, D. & Hobbs, R. (2010) Optimizando la restauración de la degradada parte alta de Galápagos: un marco conceptual. Informe Galápagos 2009-2010.
• Guézou, A. Trueman, M., Buddenhagen, E., Chamorro, S., Guerrero, A.M., Pozo, P., Atkinson, R. (2010) An extensive Alien Plan Inventory from the Inhabited Areas of Galapagos Plos One/ www.plosone.org. Volume 5/ Issue 4/e10276
• Hokche, O. Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (2008) Nuev. Cat. Fl. Vas. Venezuela 1–860.
• Itow, S. (1997) List of Plant Specimens collected in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. Bulletin of the Faculty of Liberal Arts, Nagasaki University, Natural Science, 38 (1): 53-144.
• Jaramillo, P. (1998) Distribución Espacial de la Vegetación Vascular y Dispersión de Especies Introducidas dentro del Parque Nacional Galápagos. Tesis de Doctorado en Biología, Universidad Central del Ecuador. Especialización ECOLOGIA DE POBLACIONES.
• Jiménez, Q. (2007) Meliaceae. In: Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica. Vol. 6. B.E. Hammel, M.H. Grayum, C. Herrera & N. Zamora (eds.). Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 111: 575–614.
• Koecke, A. V. Muellner, A. N., Pennington, Terence D., Schorr, G. and Schnitzler, J. (2013) Niche Evolution Through Time and Across Continent: The Story of Neotropical Cedrela (Meliaceae). American Journal of Botany
• Lawesson, J.E. Ortiz, L. (1987) Plantas Introducidas en las Islas Galápagos Memorias. Investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg.224-235
• Lawesson, J.E. (1987) Plantas exóticas en las Islas Galápagos, un resumen. Memorias. Taller sobre investigación Botánica y manejo en Galápagos. Pg. 17-23.
• Lawesson, J.E. (s.a.) Pers. obs. field notes, collections 1985-7.
• Lundh, J.P. (1995) Some additional information and comments on the Annotated Check list of Vascular Plants of the Galapagos Islands by Lawesson, Adsersen and Bentley. Charles Darwin Research Station, unpublished.
• Mauchamp, A. Atkinson, R. (2008-2009) Pérdida de hábitat rápida, reciente e irreversible:Los Bosques de Scalesia en las Islas Galápagos. Fundación Charles Darwin Research Station
• McMullen, C.K. (1999) Flowering plants of the Galapagos. Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London, 370 pp.
• Moll, E. (1990) A Report on the Distribution of Introduced Plants on Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Charles Darwin Reaearch Station, unpublished.
• Pennington, T.D. Styles, B.T. & Taylor, D.A. (1981) Meliaceae. Flora del Neotropico 28: 1–470.
• Prado Erazo, G.E. (1986) Informe preliminar, Censo de especies arboreas introducidas en la zona agricola de la isla Santa Cruz. Charles Darwin Research Station, unpublished, typescript CDF library
• Prado Erazo, G.E. (1988) Census of introduced of tree species in the Agricultural zone of Santa Cruz Island Annual Report 1986-1987; unpublished typescript, CDF Library
• Rosenberg, D. (1987) Impacto de los herbívoros introducidos sobre el Pacha y de Galápagos (Laterallus spilonotus) Memorias. Investigación Botánica y Manejo en Galápagos. Pg.188-198
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Missouri Botanical Garden (eds.) (2013) The Plant List, Version 1.1. Published on the Internet; http://www.theplantlist.org/ (accessed 1st January).
• Stevens, W.D. Ulloa, C., Pool, A., & Montiel, O.M. (2001) Flora de Nicaragua. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85: i–xlii, 1–2666.
• Tapia, W. Jaramillo, P. (1999) Las especies introducidas agresivas en las islas Galápagos y medidas tomadas para su control. El Parquero. 40 años del Parque Nacional Galápagos, 14-16.
• Zuloaga, F.O. Morrone, O., Belgrano, M.J., Marticorena, C. & Marchesi, E. (2008) Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares del Cono Sur (Argentina, Sur de Brasil, Chile, Paraguay y Urugray). Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 107(1): i–xcvi, 1–983; 107(2): i–xx, 985–2286; 107(3): i–xxi, 2287–3348.