Bastard-cedar
Guazuma ulmifolia
Synonyms: Guazuma coriacea, Guazuma guazuma, Guazuma blumei, Bubroma ulmifolia, Guazuma guazuma var. ulmifolia, Guazuma tomentosa var. parvifolia, Guazuma burbroma, Diuroglossum rufescens, Guazuma guazuma var. tomentosa, Theobroma guazuma, Guazuma tomentosa var. monpoxensis, Guazuma tomentosa var. cumanensis, Theobroma tomentosum, Guazuma ulmifolia var. glabra, Guazuma ulmifolia var. tomentosa, Guazuma ulmifolia var. trianae, Guazuma ulmifolia var. velutina, Guazuma parvifolia, Theobroma celtifolium, Guazuma tomentosa, Guazuma utilis, Bubroma polybotryum, Bubroma tomentosum, Bubroma guasuma, Guazuma polybotrya
Western Herbalism Properties
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Botanical Description
Guazuma ulmifolia (West Indian elm, bastard cedar) is a fast-growing medium-sized deciduous tree of the mallow family (Malvaceae, formerly Sterculiaceae) reaching up to about 30 m tall with a trunk 30–40 cm in diameter and an open, spreading, rounded crown. The thin grey-brown bark becomes slightly fissured with age and the slender twigs bear scattered stellate hairs. Leaves are arranged alternately in two flat ranks, ovate to lance-shaped, 6–13 cm long and 2.5–6 cm wide, with a doubly serrate margin, a markedly oblique base, prominent palmate venation, and a paler, softly stellate-hairy underside. From spring through summer the tree produces axillary branched cymes of small five-parted yellowish to brown-yellow fragrant flowers about 1 cm across. The fruit is a hard, dry, woody, globose to ellipsoidal warty capsule 15–25 mm long, dark brown to nearly black at maturity, containing numerous small grey egg-shaped seeds about 3 mm long, and is much sought after as livestock fodder. Native across the tropical Americas from southern Mexico and the Caribbean through Central America to Brazil, Peru, and Colombia, it grows in pastures, secondary forests, savannahs, and disturbed lowland sites.
Cultural & Historical Context
Traditional American Uses
Documented traditional uses across the tropical Americas (Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America) include:
The bark is the most widely employed medicinal part. Decoctions of the inner bark are taken orally as an astringent and antidiarrheal remedy and to treat dysentery, and applied externally to wounds, burns, skin eruptions, and ulcers. The mucilaginous bark infusion is also used in folk practice as a hair tonic and to promote wound healing (Vallejo & Oviedo, 1994).
A beverage prepared from crushed seeds soaked in water is used for diarrhea, dysentery, colds, coughs, contusions, and venereal disease, and as a diuretic (Vallejo & Oviedo, 1994).
Leaves are applied externally as a poultice for skin conditions and wounds, and used in decoctions for fevers and inflammation.
The fruit pulp is consumed as food and is widely used as livestock fodder, and is also reported in folk practice for chest complaints and as a mild laxative.
No documented use by North American Indigenous tribes is recorded in the Native American Ethnobotany Database.
Chemistry & External Identifiers
Important Disclaimer
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.