Cedar

Cedrela fissilis Veil. Fl. Flum. 75. 1825
Surenus fissilis Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 111. 1891.
A tree sometimes 18 m. or more in height; young twigs, under surface of the leaflets, petioles, rachis, and branches of the inflorescence more or less densely hirsutulous with rather short brownish hairs; leaves 2.8-5 dm. long; leaflets 16-26, opposite or subopposite, oblonglanceolate to oblong-ovate, 9-14 cm. long, 2-3.7 cm. broad, nearly equilateral or inequilateral and rounded or somewhat acutish at the base, acuminate to long-acuminate at the apex, rather finely reticulate above, the midrib and lateral veins impressed, hirsutulous, subsessile to shortpetioluled; branches of the inflorescence angled; calyx hirsutulous with mostly appressed hairs, the lobes ovate or triangular-ovate, acute; petals oblong, 8-9 mm. long, 2 mm. broad, acutish or somewhat obtuse, densely velvety-puberulent with rather long silky, loosely appressed hairs; filaments glabrous; style slender; capsule 3 cm. long, 2 cm. broad.
Type locality: Rio de Janeiro.
Distribution: Mexico (?); Panama; also in South America.

Cedrela fissilis is a species of tree in the family Meliaceae. It is native to Central and South America, where it is distributed from Costa Rica to Argentina. Its common names include Argentine cedar, cedro batata, cedro blanco, "Acaju-catinga" (its Global Trees entry) and cedro colorado.

Once a common lowland forest tree, this species has been overexploited for timber and is now considered to be endangered. A few populations are stable, but many have been reduced, fragmented, and extirpated. The wood is often sold in batches with Cuban cedar (Cedrela odorata).