Cordia L.

Timothy M. A. Utteridge and Laura V. S. Jennings (2022). Trees of New Guinea. Kew Publishing. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Distribution

A pantropical genus of about 300 species with its centre of diversity in South America, with three species in New Guinea: Cordia aspera G.Forst., C. dichotoma G.Forst. and C. subcordata Lam. Frequently cultivated in Asia as a street or timber tree.

Morphology General Habit

Climbers, shrubs and trees to 20 m tall. Leaves alternate, rarely subopposite, petiolate, entire or occasionally crenate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence terminal or axillary, panicles or corymbs, few–many-flowered, branches scorpioid

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers 5-merous, bisexual or unisexual and plants dioecious, shortly pedicellate or sessile, usually 5-merous; calyx campanulate, cupular or tubular, lobes 3–12, regular or irregular, may be reduced to a membranous margin; corolla funnel shaped, showy or inconspicuous, imbricate in bud; stamens equal in number to corolla lobes, included or exserted; ovary superior, 4-locular, 1 ovule per locule, style terminal, forked twice, stigma elongate or capitate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a drupe with a single pyrene, usually partly enclosed by the calyx

Ecology

Species of Cordia are found in coastal habitats (e.g. the widespread orange flowered, littoral species, C. subcordata), and in primary and secondary habitats including rain forest, swamp forest and regrowth; from sea level to c. 1200 m.

Recognition

Cordia can be distinguished from Ehretia by its twice forked style (Ehretia has a style with a single fork or 2 styles) and the 4-locular fruit with a single pyrene (Ehretia has at least 2 pyrenes).

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

Morphology General Habit

Trees or shrubs, less often climbers or scramblers

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate or in a few (but sometimes very common species) subopposite, petiolate, simple, often large, entire to crenate-dentate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers mostly white, yellow or orange, hermaphrodite, polygamous or unisexual (plant dioecious), subsessile or pedicellate, borne in terminal or axillary dichotomous corymbs, panicles or subglobose clusters of cymes, the branches scorpioid, without bracts Female with anthers sterile, otherwise similar to ♂ flowers Male flowers with 4–8 stamens, the filaments often hairy at the base; ovary rudimentary but style absent

sex Male

Male flowers with 4–8 stamens, the filaments often hairy at the base; ovary rudimentary but style absent

sex Female

Female with anthers sterile, otherwise similar to ♂ flowers

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx tubular or campanulate, smooth or with marked ribs, 2–5(–more)-lobed, persistent and accrescent in fruit

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla funnel-shaped or salver-shaped, mostly 5- but sometimes 3–8-lobed; tube short or long, cylindric or widened; lobes erect, spreading or reflexed, imbricate or subcontorted in bud.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens exserted or included, the filaments glabrous or pubescent at the base

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary 4-locular with 1 erect ovule in each locule

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style

Style terminal, twice bifid (or abnormally twice trifid), the ultimate stigmatic parts of the 4 branches linear to subfoliaceous or terminated by 1 capitate or peltate stigma, rarely with 4 separate styles

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits ovoid, globose or ellipsoid, included in or sitting in the persistent accrescent cupuliform calyx; endocarp bony with up to 4 locules but only 1–2 fertile

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds without endosperm.

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

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Corolla small to large, salver-shaped to funnel-shaped or subtubular; lobes usually 4–5, spreading or reflexed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens as many as the corolla-lobes, exserted or included

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary 4-celled; style terminal, twice 2-fid or 4-branched; stigmatic areas linear or spathulate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit usually an orange or yellowish drupe with a thin exocarp, a mucilaginous mesocarp, and a woody endocarp, or a hard nut with a corky or woody mesocarp.

Distribution

Some 250 species in the tropics, the majority in America.

Morphology General Habit

Trees, shrubs, subshrubs or woody climbers, often functionally dioecious

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate or sometimes opposite, entire or toothed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers bisexual or unisexual, regular, in cymose panicle-, head- or spike-like inflorescences

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx ± tubular-campanulate, smooth to deeply ribbed, 2–5(–10)-lobed, usually persistent, sometimes much enlarged in fruit

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit

Shrubs or trees, often roughly pubescent, the hairs simple, branched or stellate; leaves alternate or mostly so, petiolate, the margins entire or toothed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers in panicles, cymes, spikes or heads, sessile or stalked; calyx tubular to bell-shaped, and grooved, striate or smooth, usually 5-toothed or 3–10-lobed, usually persistent, often enlarging in fruit; corolla usually white or creamy, funnel-shaped to subrotate, with 5 or more lobes

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens equally or unequally inserted in the corolla-tube, included or shortly exserted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary 4-celled, the style terminal and 2-lobed or 2-branched, the branches each 2-lobed or 2-branched; ovules 1–4, erect, laterally attached

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a drupe with a hard 1–4-celled stone; seeds without endosperm.

Distribution

A pantropical genus of about 250 species.