Scientific name: Didymopanax morototoni (Aubl.) Decne. & Planch. (Synonym: Shefflera morototoni)
Vern: morototo (En); cassavehout (Du); bois de Saint-Jean (Fr)
Local: kasaba-udu; morototo (Sr); matchwood (Gu); morototo (FG)
Indig: maramara (Tr); molototo (Way); karohoro (Lok)
Maroon: atapé (Sar)
Growth Form: Trees & Shrubs
Order: Apiales
Family: Araliaceae
Notes: This species produces one of the most important seed beads and is used by indigenous peoples in jewelry and crafts throughout tropical America. Because of its hyper-efficient bird dispersal, swift early growth, and high tolerance for bright, degraded soils, it is a key species utilized in regional forest restoration models to rapidly re-establish structural canopy shade over abandoned clearings or logging paths. Molototo, the Wayana name, is historically significant as it was the original vernacular term recorded by French botanist Fusée Aublet in French Guiana in 1775, which he then adapted to create the specific epithet.