Cecropia peltata

Native from Mexico through Central America to northern Brazil, and from Jamaica to Barbados in the Caribbean, this fast-growing tree in the nettle family can exceed 65 feet tall. It colonizes forest openings and disturbed ground. In Colombia, it occurs from sea level to about 5,900 feet. Its deeply lobed leaves have whitish, hairy undersides, and its stems are hollow. Male and female flowers grow on separate trees and are pollinated by wind. Birds and bats disperse the seeds from its fleshy fruits. It is invasive in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Malaysia, and naturalized in Singapore. Photographed in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.