Cordia balanocarpa Brenan

Species

Angiosperms > Boraginales > Boraginaceae > Cordia

Characteristics

Deciduous scandent shrub to 5 m. with rigid branches covered with grey bark and numerous spur-like woody branchlets; young parts ± densely pubescent but eventually glabrous.. Leaf-blades elliptic to oblong, obovate-elliptic or subobovate-oblong, 3–10 cm. long, 1.3–3.8 cm. wide, slightly emarginate or rounded at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, shining and smooth or scarcely scabrid above, densely pubescent or tomentellous beneath when young, eventually pubescent only on the prominent venation, rigid and ± coriaceous when adult, the margins very revolute when young; petiole short, 3–6 mm. long, sulcate above, ± pubescent.. Flowers unisexual or hermaphrodite in few-flowered congested inflorescences, terminal or at the ends of short lateral branches; pedicels 1–1.5 mm. long, tomentellous.. Calyx obconic becoming ovoid-urceolate, 5.5–9 mm. long, 4–5.5 mm. wide near base but contracted to ± 3 mm. at mouth, not grooved but densely pubescent outside; lobes irregular, mostly broadly triangular, rounded or erose, 1–2 mm. long.. Corolla pale yellowish; tube subcylindric, 8 mm. long, 1.5 mm. diameter above, glabrous outside, pilose inside above; lobes 4–5, obovate-oblong or subrhomboid, 7 mm. long, 3 mm. wide, obtuse at the apex.. Stamens inserted in the throat; filaments 2.5 mm. long; anthers exserted.. Ovary broadly ovoid-conic, ± 5.5 mm. tall, 4 mm. wide, glabrous; style filiform, 5 mm. long, bifurcate at apex, each branch 2.5 mm. long, again bifid, the branches all filiform, ± 2 mm. long.. Fruits soft and jelly-like when ripe but hardening with age, broadly ovoid or subglobose, 1.2–1.6 cm. long, 1.1–1.6 cm. wide, glabrous, often with persistent style-base, sitting in the very accrescent rugulose cupuliform calyx which is woody, 1.2–1.5 cm. diameter, 8–9 mm. tall, puberulous outside, erose or scarcely lobed. Endocarp with 1–2 seeds.. Figs. 5/6, p. 24; 6.
More
A shrub or tree.
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Growth form shrub
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Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
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Mature height (meter) 0.01
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Environment

A tropical plant.
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Usage

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Edible fruits
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Cultivation

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Distribution

Cordia balanocarpa world distribution map, present in Tanzania, United Republic of

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:113977-1
WFO ID wfo-0000620269
COL ID YB7R
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Cordia balanocarpa Gerascanthus balanocarpus