Twelve photographs of Cecropia ficifolia, Cecropia, Cetico, photographed along the Rio Madre de Dios in the Amazon basin in Peru. The leaves of these and other Cecropia species are burned to ash, and the ash is gathered into balls that serve as an alkalizing agent mixed with a coca leaf quid which makes the leaf alkaloid more bioavailable. The soft wood is also used as a paper pulp material.
Steven Foster photography created by Steven Foster Group specializing in photos of herbs, spices, and medicinal plants