Cecropia 



MOEACEiE 



53 



7. CECROPIA L. 



Trees with milky juice ; trunk and branches hollow with 

 septa at intervals. Leaves long-stalked, ample, peltate, lobed, 

 lobes prominently penniveined ; stipules large, connate, intra- 

 petiolar, enclosing the terminal bud, deciduous. Flowers dioecious, 

 very dense in cylindrical spikes. Spikes, several at the apex of 



Fig. \Q,—Cecropixi. 



A, Apex of female shoot ; s, stipule en- 



closing terminal bud ; 6, spathe-like 

 bract enclosing young female spikes. 



B, Female flower. 



C, Surface view of two female flowers. 



A, C. cyrtostachya Miq. (after Fl. Bras.). 



D, Male inflorescence. 



B, Surface view of male flowers. 



F, An unopened male flower. 



G, Opened male flower. 



Other figures, C. peltata L. 



a peduncle within a spathaceous caducous bract, female thick, 

 male more slender, the flowers of both sexes very small and 

 numerous, sessile. Male flowers : perianth tubular. Stamens 2, 

 filaments straight, scarcely exserted. Ovary wanting. Female 

 flowers : perianth tubular with a small opening at apex. Ovary 

 included ; style very short, stigma exserted, penicillate ; ovule 



