Cecropia (Plant)

This article is about the tropical plant. It is also an old name for the Acropolis, Athens

Cecropia is a genus of about 25 species of trees in the nettle family Urticaceae. They are native to tropical South and Central America, where they form one of the most recognisable components of the rainforest, easily identified by their large, circular palmately lobed leaves about 30–40 cm diameter, deeply divided into 7–11 lobes.

In the past they were commonly classified in their own family the Cecropiaceae, but recent genetic evidence has shown they are within the Urticaceae.

The genus is named after King Cecrops I, first King of Athens.