Boraginaceae
Cordia

Cordia somaliensis Baker

First published in Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 1894: 28 (1894)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Central Somalia to E. Kenya. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Type
S3, “Kisimayo”, Kirk s.n. (K holo.)
Morphology General Habit
Spreading low shrub to small tree up to 5 m tall; young branchlets densely covered with woolly whitish to yellowish hairs
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate; blade oblanceolate-oblong to ovate-oblong or occasionally suborbicular, 2.2–8.6(–12.5) x 1–4.8(–10.6) cm, narrowly to broadly cuneate at the base, obtuse to subtruncate or rarely subacute at the apex, entire to shallowly crenate or dentate towards apex, ± sparsely pubescent with soft hairs above, densely covered with appressed hairs beneath; petiole 2–21 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx tubular-campanulate, 4.5–7.5 mm long, pilose outside, 3–5-lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white or cream; tube 5–8 mm long; lobes 4–5
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Male flowers with 4–5 stamens and rudimentary pistillode Flowers scented, functionally unisexual, in dense to fairly lax inflorescences
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style with 0.7–3.9 mm long stigmatic branches
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits Fruiting calyx
Fruiting calyx funnel- or cup-shaped, 4.5–7 x 4.5–8 mm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Drupe narrowly ovoid, tapering to the acute apex, 8–16 x 3–5.2 mm.
Distribution
C1; S2, 3; Kenya
Ecology
Altitude range 0–150 m.
Vernacular
Deelaal, mareer deelaal (Somali).
[FSOM]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/128048594/128048598

Conservation
VU - vulnerable
[IUCN]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Boraginaceae, B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1991

Morphology General Habit
Scrambling shrub or bushy tree with several stems from the base, (0.3–)1.8–6 m. tall; bark pale brown, becoming grey and fissured; young stems ridged, grey, densely pubescent with adpressed white hairs and longer spreading ones, later glabrescent.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades pale green in life, obovate-oblong, 1.7–7.5(–10) cm. long, 1–5.3 cm. wide, rounded to acute at the apex, ± cuneate at the base, entire to shallowly crenate towards apex, ± fleshy, obscurely scabrid above with cystoliths but no rough hairs, glabrous or pubescent, adpressed pubescent beneath or almost glabrous; petiole 6–11(–15) mm. long, ± pilose.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers sweet-scented, opening in the evening, sessile in condensed cymes arranged in small inflorescences ± 6 cm. wide; peduncles ± 3 cm. long, with secondary axes ± 1.5 cm. long. Female:calyx campanulate; tube 4 mm. long; lobes 1 mm. long; corolla-tube fusiform, 5 mm. long; lobes narrowly obovate-oblong, 3.5 mm. long, 1.3 mm. wide; filaments 1 mm. long with adnate part shortly pilose; anthers present but sterile; ovary fusiform, 4 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide; style stout, 1–2 mm. long, with branches 1.5–2.5 mm. long, the 4 stigmatic branches ± 3.2 mm. long. Male:calyx campanulate; tube 3–6 mm. long, constricted near the base when dry, sparsely pubescent outside, shortly adpressed pilose inside with 2–3 semicircular lobes ± 1 mm. long; corolla cream or yellowish, glabrous outside; tube cylindrical, 6 mm. long; lobes oblong-obovate, 6 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, narrowed below; stamens exserted; filaments 2.5–3.5 mm. long with adpressed part pilose; rudimentary ovary depressed globose, 1 mm. tall, 1.5 mm. wide; style obsolete.
sex Male
Male:calyx campanulate; tube 3–6 mm. long, constricted near the base when dry, sparsely pubescent outside, shortly adpressed pilose inside with 2–3 semicircular lobes ± 1 mm. long; corolla cream or yellowish, glabrous outside; tube cylindrical, 6 mm. long; lobes oblong-obovate, 6 mm. long, 2.5 mm. wide, narrowed below; stamens exserted; filaments 2.5–3.5 mm. long with adpressed part pilose; rudimentary ovary depressed globose, 1 mm. tall, 1.5 mm. wide; style obsolete.
sex Female
Female:calyx campanulate; tube 4 mm. long; lobes 1 mm. long; corolla-tube fusiform, 5 mm. long; lobes narrowly obovate-oblong, 3.5 mm. long, 1.3 mm. wide; filaments 1 mm. long with adnate part shortly pilose; anthers present but sterile; ovary fusiform, 4 mm. long, 1.5 mm. wide; style stout, 1–2 mm. long, with branches 1.5–2.5 mm. long, the 4 stigmatic branches ± 3.2 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit orange, ovoid-conic, 1–1.7 cm. long including the long-drawn-out acute beak, sitting in the 7–11 mm. wide, venose accrescent calyx.
Figures
Fig. 5/1, 2, p. 24.
Habitat
Sandy open areas near high-tide mark with Guettarda, etc., dunes, thicket on coral rag and other coastal bushland, also open Acacia scrub on red sandy soil; 0–15(–150) m.
Distribution
K1 K7
[FTEA]

Uses

Use
This is an important species for the fixation of dunes and is also used for fencing and as wind break.
[FSOM]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0