Cordia alliodora - Spanish elm
Family:
Native to:
Habitat:
Boraginaceae
Central America, northern and central South America, the Caribbean.
Both wet and dry forests. Up to 1800 meters above sea level. 30 meter tall tree.
Ecological value:
Pioneer species, can colonize bare soil. Attracts pollinators - is very attractive to bees. Tolerant of high winds. Fast growing. Coppices well.
Material uses:
Renowned timber-producing species, high quality wood. Wood, moderately durable, resistant to fungi and wood-boring insects. Used for building construction, flooring, furniture, veneers, etc. Some resistance to marine borers. Perfume from oil from flowers. Fire wood.
Edible uses:
Fruits are edible, not tasty. Bark used as condiment. Grown in agroforestry systems.
Medicinal use:
A decoction of the leaves is used as a tonic and a stimulant, especially in cases of catarrh and lung infection.
Other details:
Has been incorporated with pasture, often in mixture with woody species of Erythrina. When grown as a shade tree, it has shown to reduce yield in crops, but income generated from timber compensates for this yield reduction. Cultivated as an ornamental for its white fragrant flowers.
Research:
Adrian Chiu/Christine Facella
Sources:
“Cordia Alliodora (Ruiz & Pav.) Oken | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science.” n.d. Plants of the World Online. Accessed November 27, 2023. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:113943-1/general-information.
“Cordia Alliodora - Useful Tropical Plants.” n.d. Tropical.theferns.info. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cordia+alliodora.
Facciola. S., ‘Cornucopia II’, Kampong Publications, California, 1998
Williams. R. O. & Williams. R. O. Jnr, ‘The Useful and Ornamental Plants of Trinidad and Tobago’, Self Published in Trinidad and Tobago., 1951
Image sources: Alejandro Bayer and Dick Culbert