Fragrant cereal

Vegetative organs

Deciduous tree about 10 m high. Branches are covered with undescended bark with rare lentils . Sequential spirally arranged complex pinnate leaves reach a minimum of 30 cm in length and consist of pairs of serrate leaflets . Oppositely located on the common petiole, 17–19 leaves are 8–12 cm long and 3.5–4 cm wide, and sit on petioles 1–1.5 cm long. Leaf blades are oval, oblong or elliptical, whole-edge or with a toothed edge, with rounded bases and sharp tips, membranous, not pubescent on both sides, have 10-12 lateral veins on either side of the convex main vein.

Generative organs

Small, rarely branching inflorescences shorter than the leaves. The flowers are bisexual, with a double perianth , have 5 petals , small, from oblong to ellipsoid in shape. Five sepals grow together, rarely covered with gentle pubescence. Five free white petals reach about 8 mm in length, elliptical in shape. 5 free stamens are arranged in a circle on top of the receptacle . Five carpels grow together in a naked 5-nested ovary . Each nest contains 12 ovules . The stigma is not laden.

The fruit is an unpurified opening box with a length of 4 cm, from oblong to ellipsoid in shape, has large lentils.

It grows in the tropics of the New World , in moist, seasonally drying forests , from 26 ° N on the Pacific coast of Mexico , in Central America and on the islands of the Caribbean Sea , to the lowlands and foothills of hills in most of South America at an altitude of up to 1200 m above sea level, with a southern border of about 28 ° S in argentina . In nature, grows on well-drained soils , but not exclusively on limestone . The plant tolerates the dry season, but does not bloom in regions with precipitation levels above 3000 mm, as well as on heavy or marshy soils. Individual trees are usually scattered in semi-evergreen or semi-deciduous forests dominated by other species. Mahogany , a close relative of fragrant zestrella, often grows with it. Both plants suffer from a similar pest, the Hypsipyla grandella carpenter .

Fragrant cereal is the most widespread and commercially important species of the genus. Its fragrant wood (hence the name) is in great demand in the tropics of America, as it has good resistance to eating termites and rot. Moderately light wood ( density 400 kg / m³) is mainly used for cladding buildings. The core wood of this tree contains an insect repellent resin that smells like the smell of real cedar (therefore this plant is also called Spanish cedar ). Plywood obtained from this tree could find wider application if it were more successfully grown artificially.

The plant is often used for the production of honey (in beekeeping ) and in places of storage of tobacco .

Occasionally, odoriferous zestrel is used in some electric guitars . Wood is traditionally used to make classic guitars.

Since 1960, the genus Cedrela has undergone two major systematic revisions. During the latter, 28 other species, including C. mexicana , were included in the species Cedrela odorata . Thus, now in different populations, representatives of Cedrela odorata have a large number of variations.

At the moment, according to IUCN , this species has the status of “vulnerable” due to cutting down for the production of plywood and other wooden products.

• Cedrela adenophylla Mart.
• Cedrela amara goebel
• Cedrela brachystachya ( C.DC. ) C.DC.
• Cedrela brownei Loefl.
• Cedrela brownii Loefl. ex kuntze
• Cedrela caldasana C.DC.
• Cedrela cedro Loefl.
• Cedrela cubensis bisse
• Cedrela glaziovii C.DC.
• Cedrela guianensis A.Juss.
• Cedrela hassleri ( C.DC. ) C.DC.
• Cedrela huberi ducke
• Cedrela imparipinnata C.DC.
• Cedrela longipes SFBlake
• Cedrela mexicana M.Roem.
• Cedrela mexicana var. puberula C.DC.
• Cedrela mourae C.DC.
• Cedrela occidentalis C.DC. & Rose
• Cedrela odorata Ruiz & Pav.
• Cedrela odorata Vell.
• Cedrela odorata var. xerogeiton Rizzini & Heringer
• Cedrela palustris handro
• Cedrela paraguariensis Mart.
• Cedrela paraguariensis var. brachystachya C.DC.
• Cedrela paraguariensis var. hassleri C.DC.
• Cedrela paraguariensis var. multijuga C.DC.
• Cedrela rotunda SFBlake
• Cedrela sintenisii C.DC.
• Cedrela velloziana M. Roem.
• Cedrela whitfordii sfblake
• Cedrela yucatana sfblake
• Cedrus odorata Mill.
• Surenus brownei ( Loefl. ) Kuntze
• Surenus glaziovii ( C.DC. ) Kuntze
• Surenus guianensis ( A.Juss. ) Kuntze
• Surenus mexicana ( M.Roem. ) Kuntze
• Surenus paraguariensis ( Mart. ) Kuntze
• Surenus velloziana ( M.Roem. ) Kuntze ^[1]

• Hua Peng & David J. Mabberley: Cedrela in Flora of China , Volume 11, S. 115: Cedrela odorata - Online.
• Barbara B. Cintron: Datenblatt: Cedro Hembra, Spanish-Cedar on na.fs.fed.us

• Cedrela odorata on IUCN website