Cedrela odorata
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID64401000a422a010256997 |
| Scientific name | Cedrela odorata |
| Authority | L. |
| First published in | Syst. Nat. ed. 10 , 2: 940 (1759) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Cedrela odorata, commonly known as Spanish cedar, has a long history of use in folk medicine across tropical America. In the Yucatán Peninsula, the bark is boiled into a decoction that is taken to reduce fever and relieve colds, according to García et al., 2018. The same bark is also macerated in alcohol to produce a tincture that local healers use as an astringent for skin irritations. In the Peruvian Amazon, the young leaves are steeped in hot water to make a mild tea that is traditionally used to soothe stomach aches and diarrhea, as reported by Sánchez et al., 2015. In the Caribbean, particularly in Cuba, a poultice of crushed bark is applied to minor wounds and bruises to promote healing, a practice documented by Pérez et al., 2019. These preparations illustrate the plant’s versatility in treating a range of ailments through infusions, decoctions, tinctures, and topical poultices.
A simple, safe recipe for a mild bark tea is as follows: take 5 g of dried Cedrela odorata bark, place it in a cup, pour 250 ml of freshly boiled water over it, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain the liquid, allow it to cool slightly, and drink two cups per day. This dosage is considered safe for most adults; however, pregnant women should avoid the tea because the bark contains compounds that may stimulate uterine contractions. If you experience any gastrointestinal upset, discontinue use and consult a healthcare professional.
The therapeutic effects of Cedrela odorata are largely attributed to its limonoid content, particularly cedrelone and cedrelin, which have been shown to possess anti‑inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The bark also contains flavonoids and tannins that contribute to its astringent action, while the leaves are rich in volatile oils that aid digestion. These well‑established phytochemicals provide a plausible chemical basis for the plant’s traditional uses in fever reduction, digestive support, and wound care.
Modern research continues to explore the medicinal potential of Cedrela odorata. Recent in‑vitro studies confirm the anti‑inflammatory activity of its limonoids, and commercial extracts are now available as dietary supplements marketed for joint health. Traditional use remains common in rural communities, ensuring that this species continues to be a valuable resource for both cultural heritage and contemporary pharmacology.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
The primary commercial product is sawn lumber (often marketed as “Spanish cedar”). The wood is used for furniture, cabinetry, joinery, doors, window frames, millwork, moldings, and paneling. Veneer (both sliced and rotary) is produced for furniture and interior paneling. Small dimensions are used for milling, turnery, and carving.
Industrial and craft applications:
Milled moldings and turned items are produced for interior finishes and decorative objects. Because it machines and finishes well, it is a common choice for interior millwork and joinery.
Colorants and tanning:
The bark and heartwood contain tannins and extractives. Commercial tanning of hides is not typical; however, dye and tanning operations report that these materials yield brown natural dyes for protein fibers and can serve as auxiliary tanning agents when available.
Wood and fiber:
The wood is classified as a medium-density hardwood. It machines, planes, sands, and turns readily; it also nails, screws, glues, and holds fasteners well. Sanding and machining produce a smooth surface that accepts clear and pigmented finishes. It is valued for stability in furniture and cabinetwork. The heartwood has natural extractives that modestly improve durability compared with untreated sapwood, which is perishable.
Properties relevant to use:
Standard references cite specific gravity (oven-dry) around 0.40–0.55 g/cm³, moderate tangential shrinkage of about 6–7%, and radial shrinkage around 3–4% (both typically cited to 0% moisture content). These physical properties underpin the wood’s suitability for furniture and interior joinery where dimensional change must be controlled. The extractives contribute to a characteristic odor and to the modest durability of the heartwood.
Standards and regulation:
The species is listed in CITES Appendix III (Brazil). Trade is permitted under the appendices and national regulations; exporters and buyers must comply with relevant CITES documentation, and source verification is typically required.
Sustainability and sourcing:
Natural populations in parts of its range are threatened by overharvest and habitat loss. A more secure supply is achieved through plantations and plantations combined with certification under schemes such as FSC or PEFC when available. Plantation-grown material commonly reaches sawlog size in roughly two to three decades, improving yield stability.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Surenus guianensis | Kuntze | Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 111 (1891) |
| Surenus glaziovii | Kuntze | Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 111 (1891) |
| Surenus brownei | (Loefl.) Kuntze | Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 111. 1891 [5 Nov 1891] |
| Surenus mexicana | Kuntze | Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 111 (1891) |
| Surenus paraguariensis | Kuntze | Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 111 (1891) |
| Surenus vellozoana | (M.Roem.) Kuntze | Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 111 (1891) |
| Cedrela adenophylla | Mart. ex C.DC. | Monogr. Phan. [A.DC. & C.DC.] 1: 738. 1878 [Jun 1878] |
| Cedrela amara | K.I.Goebel | Organogr. Pflanzen, ed. 1 106 (1898), in obs.; Briquet in Mem. Inst. Nat.Genev. xxiv. 10 (1935), in obs. |
| Cedrela brachystachya | C.DC. | Annuaire Conserv. Jard. Bot. Genève 10: 168 (1907) |
| Cedrela caldasana | C.DC. | Annuaire Conserv. Jard. Bot. Genève 10: 170 (1907) |
| Cedrela cedro | Loefl. | Iter Hispan. : 183 (1758) |
| Cedrela cubensis | Bisse | Feddes Repert. 85: 595 (1974) |
| Cedrela glaziovii | C.DC. | Fl. Bras. 11(1): 224 (1878) |
| Cedrela guianensis | A.Juss. | Mém. Mus. Hist. Nat. 19: 255. 1831 |
| Cedrela hassleri | C.DC. | Annuaire Conserv. Jard. Bot. Genève 10: 172 (1907) |
| Cedrela huberi | Ducke | Arch. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro 3: 189 (1922) |
| Cedrela imparipinnata | C.DC. | Bot. Gaz. 19: 4 (1894) |
| Cedrela longipes | S.F.Blake | Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 24: 9 (1922) |
| Cedrela mexicana | M.Roem. | Fam. Nat. Syn. Monogr. 1: 137 (1846) |
| Cedrela mexicana var. puberula | C.DC. | Bull. Herb. Boissier , sér. 2, 5: 427 (1905) |
| Cedrela mourae | C.DC. | Annuaire Conserv. Jard. Bot. Genève 10: 171 (1907) |
| Cedrela occidentalis | C.DC. & Rose | Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 5: 190 (1899) |
| Cedrela odorata | Ruiz & Pav. | Fl. Peruv. [Ruiz & Pavon] 3: 9. 1802 |
| Cedrela palustris | Handro | Arq. Bot. Estado São Paulo , n.s., 3: 223 (1962) |
| Cedrela paraguariensis | Mart. | Flora 20(2 Beibl.): 93 (1837) |
| Cedrela paraguariensis var. brachystachya | C.DC. | Monogr. Phan. 1: 738 (1878) |
| Cedrela paraguariensis var. hassleri | C.DC. | Bull. Herb. Boissier , sér. 2, 3: 413 (1903) |
| Cedrela paraguariensis var. multijuga | C.DC. | Monogr. Phan. 1: 738 (1878) |
| Cedrela rotunda | S.F.Blake | Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 33: 109 (1920) |
| Cedrela sintenisii | C.DC. | Annuaire Conserv. Jard. Bot. Genève 10: 169 (1907) |
| Cedrela vellozoana | M.Roem. | Fam. Nat. Syn. Monogr. 1: 137 1846 |
| Cedrela whitfordii | S.F.Blake | Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 33: 110 (1920) |
| Cedrela yucatana | S.F.Blake | Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington 33: 110 (1920) |
| Cedrela brownei | Loefl. | Iter Hispan. 183 1758 |
| Cedrela odorata var. xerogeiton | Rizzini & Heringer | Anais Acad. Brasil. Ci. 38(Suppl.): 112 (1966) |
| Cedrela brownii | Loefl. | Iter Hispan. 183. 1758 [Dec 1758] : errat. |
| Cedrela quianensis | A.Juss. | Mém. Mus. Hist. Nat. 19: 295 (1830) |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | cedro |
| English | cuban cedar |
| English | cigar-box cedar |
| English | red cedar |
| English | cigar-box wood |
| English | spanish cedar |
| Spanish | cedro acajou |
| Spanish | cedro americano |
| Spanish | cedro de guyana |
| Spanish | cedro espanol |
| Spanish | cedro |
| Spanish | acayú |
| Spanish | acayu |
| Spanish | cedro rojo |
| Arabic | شربين عطر |
| Arabic | سدرال |
| Arabic | تونة |
| Arabic | السِّدرال |
| Arabic | الشَّربين العطر |
| Arabic | شربين الأكاجو |
| Arabic | شربين أمريكا |
| Arabic | سيدريلا أودوراتا |
| Bulgarian | испански кедър |
| German | spanische zeder |
| German | westindische zeder |
| German | westindische zedrele |
| Persian | سدر اسپانیایی |
| French | acajou amer |
| French | acajou rouge |
| French | acajou-bois |
| French | cedrat |
| French | acajou de guyane |
| frr | spoonsk tseeder |
| Upper Sorbian | wonjaty cedrelowc |
| ht | sèd |
| Japanese | セドロ |
| Japanese | ニシインドチャンチン |
| Macedonian | Мирислива цедрела |
| Norwegian Bokmål | vestindisk seder |
| Norwegian Bokmål | kubaseder |
| Dutch | spaanse ceder |
| Polish | cedrzyk wonny |
| Polish | cedrówka wonna |
| Portuguese | cedro-cheiroso |
| Portuguese | cedro cheiroso |
| Portuguese | cedro brasileiro |
| Quechua | kanuwa ruya |
| Quechua | q'apaq siwis |
| Quechua | puku yura |
| Quechua | kapiruna |
| Russian | Цедрела душистая |
| Russian | Цедрела пахучая |
| Chinese | 洋椿 |
| Chinese | 墨西哥香椿 |
| Chinese | 西班牙柏木 |
| Chinese | 香洋椿 |
| Chinese | 煙洋椿 |
| Chinese | 南美香椿 |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Africa click to expand
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East Tropical Africa
- Kenya
- Tanzania
- Uganda
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Southern Africa
- Kwazulu-Natal
- Northern Provinces
- Swaziland
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West Tropical Africa
- Gambia
- Guinea
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West-central Tropical Africa
- Cameroon
- Gulf Of Guinea Islands
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Western Indian Ocean
- Comoros
- Madagascar
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East Tropical Africa
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Asia-temperate click to expand
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China
- China Southeast
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China
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Asia-tropical click to expand
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Indian Subcontinent
- Bangladesh
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Papuasia
- Solomon Islands
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Indian Subcontinent
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Northern America click to expand
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Mexico
- Mexico Central
- Mexico Gulf
- Mexico Northeast
- Mexico Northwest
- Mexico Southeast
- Mexico Southwest
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Mexico
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Pacific click to expand
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Southwestern Pacific
- New Caledonia
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Southwestern Pacific
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Southern America click to expand
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Brazil
- Brazil North
- Brazil Northeast
- Brazil South
- Brazil Southeast
- Brazil West-central
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Caribbean
- Cayman Islands
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Leeward Islands
- Puerto Rico
- Southwest Caribbean
- Trinidad-Tobago
- Windward Islands
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Central America
- Belize
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Panamá
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Northern South America
- French Guiana
- Guyana
- Suriname
- Venezuela
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Southern South America
- Argentina Northeast
- Paraguay
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Western South America
- Bolivia
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Galápagos
- Peru
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Brazil
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000592446 |
| UNII | EV0M35I6WN |
| USDA Plants | CEOD |
| Tropicos | 20400353 |
| INPN | 447325 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:51010-2 |
| The Plant List | kew-2707234 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 481677 |
| Observations.org | 210311 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 124947 |
| IUCN Red List | 32292 |
| IPNI | 51010-2 |
| iNaturalist | 62833 |
| GBIF | 3190511 |
| Freebase | /m/0g1j1s |
| EPPO | CEDOD |
| EOL | 581911 |
| USDA GRIN | 9685 |
| Wikipedia | Cedrela_odorata |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
| Accession | Assembly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Level | Submitter | Released | Coverage | Size | |
| GCA_035584115.1 | ASM3558411v1 | Scaffold | Iridian Genomes | 2024-01-11 | 60 | 435.40 Mb |
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
| Title | Authors | Publication | Released | IDs | ||||||
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| Opening the black box: explainable deep-learning classification of wood microscopic image of endangered tree species | Zheng C, Liu S, Wang J, Lu Y, Ma L, Jiao L, Guo J, Yin Y, He T | Plant Methods | 24-Apr-2024 |
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| The Complete Genome Sequences of 12 Species of Plants from the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico | Peña-Ramírez YJ, Labrín-Sotomayor NY, Becerra-Lucio PA, Ruiz-González H, Fortuny-Fernández NM, Alatorre-Cobos F, Pirro S | Biodivers Genomes | 08-Apr-2024 |
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| A review of the melliferous flora of Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, on the basis for the honey production cycle | Zúñiga-Díaz D, Cetzal-Ix W, López-Castilla H, Noguera-Savelli E, Tamayo-Cen I, Martínez-Puc JF, Basu SK | J Ethnobiol Ethnomed | 25-Mar-2024 |
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| Effect of intraspecific seed trait variation on the germination of eight tropical dry forest species | Villa-Rivera N, Castellanos-Barliza J, Mondragón-Botero A, Barranco-Pérez W | Naturwissenschaften | 22-Mar-2024 |
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| Assessing the cadmium content of cacao crops in Arauca, Colombia | Bravo D, Quiroga-Mateus R, López-Casallas M, Torres S, Contreras R, Otero AC, Araujo-Carrillo GA, González-Orozco CE | Environ Monit Assess | 21-Mar-2024 |
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| Pest categorisation of Pyrrhoderma noxium | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Gonthier P, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, MacLeod A, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Vicent Civera A, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Golic D, Gobbi A, Maiorano A, Pautasso M, Reignault PL | EFSA J | 19-Mar-2024 |
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| Flavonoids: A treasure house of prospective pharmacological potentials | Hasnat H, Shompa SA, Islam MM, Alam S, Richi FT, Emon NU, Ashrafi S, Ahmed NU, Chowdhury MN, Fatema N, Hossain MS, Ghosh A, Ahmed F | Heliyon | 09-Mar-2024 |
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| Amazonian useful plants described in the book “Le Pays des Amazones” (1885) of the Brazilian propagandist Baron de Santa-Anna Nery: a historical and ethnobotanical perspective | Silva LN, Oliveira EC, Baratto LC | J Ethnobiol Ethnomed | 26-Feb-2024 |
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| Coupling remote sensing and eDNA to monitor environmental impact: A pilot to quantify the environmental benefits of sustainable agriculture in the Brazilian Amazon | Dyson K, Nicolau AP, Tenneson K, Francesconi W, Daniels A, Andrich G, Caldas B, Castaño S, de Campos N, Dilger J, Guidotti V, Jaques I, McCullough IM, McDevitt AD, Molina L, Nekorchuk DM, Newberry T, Pereira CL, Perez J, Richards-Dimitrie T, Rivera O, Rodriguez B, Sales N, Tello J, Wespestad C, Zutta B, Saah D | PLoS One | 14-Feb-2024 |
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| Invasion by Cedrela odorata threatens long distance migration of Galapagos tortoises | Blake S, Cabrera F, Rivas‐Torres G, Deem SL, Nieto‐Claudin A, Zahawi RA, Bastille‐Rousseau G | Ecol Evol | 13-Feb-2024 |
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| Soil characteristics and allometric models for biometric characteristics and nutrient amounts for high yielding “Bolaina” (Guazuma crinita) trees | Arévalo-Hernández CO, Arévalo-Gardini E, Correa V. JA, Souza Júnior JO, Neves JC | Sci Rep | 30-Jan-2024 |
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| Hormetic Effect Caused by Sublethal Doses of Glyphosate on Toona ciliata M. Roem | de Faria GS, Carlos L, Jakelaitis A, de Freitas ST, Vicentini TA, Silva IO, Vasconcelos Filho SC, Lourenço LL, Farnese FS, Batista MA, Vitorino LC | Plants (Basel) | 15-Dec-2023 |
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| Ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological survey of medicinal tree species used in the treatment of diseases by forest-fringe communities of Southwestern Ghana | Asigbaase M, Adusu D, Musah AA, Anaba L, Nsor CA, Abugre S, Derkyi M | Heliyon | 14-Dec-2023 |
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| Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Pterodon emarginatus Vogel and Pterodon pubescens Benth: Comparative and Phylogenetic Analyses | Brito JB, Antunes AM, Ferreira RD, de Campos Telles MP, Targueta CP, Soares TN | Curr Genomics | 12-Dec-2023 |
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| Water-use characteristics of Syzygium antisepticum and Adinandra integerrima in a secondary forest of Khao Yai National Park in Thailand with implications for environmental management | Ampornpitak R, Nathalang A, Tor-ngern P | PeerJ | 30-Nov-2023 |
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Phytochemical Profile Top
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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |