Boraginaceae
Cordia

Cordia subcordata Lam.

First published in Tabl. Encycl. 1: 421 (1792)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Somalia to N. Mozambique, W. Indian Ocean to Pacific. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Boraginaceae, E. S. Martins (Trichodesma by R. K. Brummit). Flora Zambesiaca 7:4. 1990

Morphology General Habit
Shrub up to 4 m. high (or a tree up to 15 m. high outside the Flora Zambesiaca area); branches angular when young, glabrous or subglabrous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate; petiole 2.5–7.0 cm. long, subglabrous; lamina 6–20 x 5–16 cm., ovate or widely ovate to circular, glabrous or with some minute appressed not bulbous-based hairs, older ones frequently dotted with groups of cystoliths above, more or less pubescent along the midrib and some secondary nerves and usually minutely tomentose in the axils of the principal secondary and tertiary nerves below, obtuse to rounded and often shortly acuminate at apex, obtuse to truncate, rarely subcordate at the base, with entire or slightly repand margins, papyraceous, with 6 pairs of secondary nerves.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence cymose, loosely branched, short, 6–20-flowered, terminal, often apparently opposite-leaved.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers hermaphrodite, heterostylous, on pedicels 2–8 mm. long joined near the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 12–15 mm. long and 4–5 mm. in diam. at the mouth, cylindric or slightly conical, coriaceous, usually with 3–5 rounded teeth up to 4 mm. long, glabrous or very sparsely strigose outside and inside but densely strigose inside on the teeth.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 30–45 mm. long, infundibuliform, orange, glabrous or nearly so; limb nearly as broad as the length of the corolla; lobes 5–7, broad, rounded, sometimes with crenate margin, spreading.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens inserted at c. 20 mm. from the base of the corolla tube; filaments in the short-styled flowers c. 8 mm. long, in the long-styled flowers 3–5 mm. long, glabrous; anthers 2.5–3.5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil
Ovary c. 3 mm. long, conical, glabrous; style in the short-styled flowers c. 22 mm. long, first-branched at c. 17 mm. and with stigmatic branches c. 1.5 mm. long, in the long-styled flowers c. 30 mm. long, first-branched at 21–23 mm. and with stigmatic branches 2.5–3.0 mm. long, flattened.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a nut, c. 25 x 22 mm., subglobose, smooth, shining, completely enclosed in the enlarged urceolate calyx; mesocarp suberose; pyrene angular, much ridged and scabrous, containing 1–2 seeds.
[FZ]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/33199/67739216

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

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

Morphology General Habit
Shrub or tree up to 15 m tall; young branchlets glabrous or almost so
Morphology Leaves
Leaves alternate; blade broadly ovate to elliptic or suborbicular, 8–20 x 5–15 cm, cuneate to rounded or rarely subcordate at the base, obtuse to rounded or rarely acute at the apex, entire or rarely toothed, with minute scattered hairs above, pubescent to tomentose along midrib and principal veins beneath; petiole 15–80 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers bisexual, heterostylous, in lax few- to 20-flowered pubescent inflorescences
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx tubular to funnel-shaped, 10–20 mm long, glabrous or sparsely strigose outside, (2–)3–5-lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white, orange or red; tube 20–30 mm long; lobes 5–7
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 5–7
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style with united part 19–33 mm long, with flattened stigmatic lobes less than 1 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a nut, c. 20–30 x 15–25 mm, ovoid, obovoid or subglobose, completely enclosed by the leathery to finally somewhat woody calyx; mesocarp corky; endocarp very hard.
Distribution
S3 widespread along the coasts of tropical Asia as well as on the islands of the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific.
Ecology
Sea shores above the high tide mark
Vernacular
Mareer (Somali).
Note
The nuts of C. subcordata float by means of the corky mesocarp.
[FSOM]

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
Shrub or tree, 1.5–15 m. tall with spreading branches; trunk thick, up to 60 cm. diameter; stems pale grey, ± ridged; bark brown, ± rough.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blades broadly ovate to almost round, 4–34 cm. long, 3–17 cm. wide, rounded to acute or subacute or shortly acuminate at the apex, rounded at the base or sometimes ± subcordate or obtuse or quite tapering, slightly succulent, very shortly pubescent above when young but later ± glabrous above but often with cystolith spots, velvety to ± tomentose along edges of costa and nervation beneath or ± glabrous; petiole 1.5–11 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence axillary or pseudo-terminal 6–20-flowered cymes, 10–14 cm. long, pubescent when young; peduncles 0.5–2 cm. long; pedicels 2–5(–10) mm. long; flowers heterostylous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx brownish, cylindric-funnel-shaped, 1.1–2 cm. long, 3–5-valvate or -lobed, the lobes 2–5 mm. long, finally accrescent and completely enveloping the fruit, glabrous or slightly pubescent outside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla white or usually apricot, orange or red, funnel-shaped; tube 2–3 cm. long, 3 mm. diameter at base, 1–2 cm. wide at the throat; lobes 5–7, rounded to obovate-spathulate, 1.5–2.5 cm. long and wide, spreading, usually crinkly-edged.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens Filaments
Filaments inserted just below the middle of the corolla-tube, the anthers level with the throat.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Style
Style 2–2.5 cm. long (short) or ± 3 cm. long (long); primary branches 2–7 mm. long, the 4 stigmatic lobes 0.5–2 mm. long, flattened.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit yellow to red, becoming blackish, ovoid, obovoid or subglobose, 1.5–4 cm. long, 2–3 cm. wide, sometimes ± beaked, the enveloping calyx becoming hard; endocarp very hard, angular and furrowed, 4-locular but only 2 seeds developing.
Figures
Fig. 1/1,2, p. 8.
Habitat
Shore above high tide mark; inland fringe of mangrove swamps; littoral savanna; 0–1.5 (–75)m.
Distribution
K7 P T3 T6 T8 Z
[FTEA]

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: low confidence
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

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

  • 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

    • 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 2024. 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 2024. 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

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images