Cecropia telealba

Native to Colombia and Venezuela, this fast-growing tree in the nettle family can reach about 100 feet tall. It grows in mountain forests and along forest margins. In Colombia, it is recorded between about 5,400 and 8,500 feet. Its large, deeply lobed leaves have a whitish, hairy coating that gives the canopy a silvery appearance. Ants inhabit cavities in the branches. The small flowers form dense spikes, followed by fleshy fruit clusters that feed fruit-eating birds and bats. In Colombia, it is planted for ecological restoration, shade, and protection of water sources. Photographed in the central Andes of Colombia.