Scientific name: Cecropia angustifolia

Family: Cecropiaceae

Origin: Atlantic Forest, Brazil.

Popular names: embaúva, imbaúba, umbaúba, originate from the Tupi term ãba'ib, which means "hollow tree".

Natural occurrence: Atlantic Forest, mainly in the Amazon region.

Characteristics: trees with a hollow trunk, their leaves are 9 to 10 with a white underside, and can reach fifteen meters in height. It belongs to the stratum of pioneer plants of the Atlantic Forest. They are light trees, undemanding to the soil and very common in deforested areas undergoing recovery. They have pointed fruits, attractive to several species of birds. They are able to disperse quickly.

As they have hollow stems and branches, they live in symbiosis with ants, especially those of the Azteca genus, which inhabit their interior and protect them from herbivorous animals.

Uses: in addition to being widely used in the recovery of deforested areas, embaúba is a medicinal plant that contains alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and cardiotonic glycosides and, therefore, is normally used to combat high blood pressure.

Source: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emba%C3%BAba_(%C3%A1rvore); https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/html/10.1055/a-1495-9785

See all tree and shrub species mapped on Bahiana