Guarumbo – Pumpwood

The pumpwood tree (cecropia peltata) or (Cecropia schreberiana) has a distinctive canopy and the leaves are long stalked and hand shaped. In Spanish the name is Guarumbo.

The trunk of the tree is prominently ringed. The trunk and major branches are hollow and provide a home to the Azteca ant. The tree provides the home for the ant colony and the ants provide protection for the tree. The tree also produces the sap which feeds the ant.

When emerging the new leaf is reddish enough so that it may appear from a distance to be a flower on the tree.

The buds are also red. They erupt into stringy flowers in March and April. The male flowers and female flowers appear on different trees like the papaya.

This must be the other gender because it is very different from the above.

The tree is slender and only lives about 20 years. It is prominent in the wild. This shot is on HWY 200 between Bucerias and Sayulita.

When wandering in the woods it is easy to spot by the litter of leaves on the ground or hanging in near by trees. It is evergreen but constantly shedding its leaves.

Our “revisit tree” is located in Los Ayala just outside the home offices of MagicalLosAyala.com so it should be easy to photograph frequently.

Used as a medicine for heart disease and to reduce the sugar in the blood and as a diuretic.
Es un tónico cardiaco, útil para disminuir los niveles de azúcar en la sangre y como diurético.