Cordia boissieri
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Cordia boissieri |
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The Cordia boissieri is a deciduous tree species of the genus Kordien ( Cordia ) in the family Boraginaceae (Boraginaceae). The species is native to southern North America .
Names for the species in the natural habitat are "Texas Olive" and "Wild Olive" (English) as well as "Anacahuita" (Spanish).
description
Cordia boissieri is a slow-growing shrub or small tree with heights of up to 6 meters, rarely a little higher. It is often evergreen , but deciduous in colder locations; it already loses many leaves in light frosts. The bark is thin and easily damaged mechanically. The silvery green leaves are obovate (inverted egg-shaped) and up to 12 cm long.
The flowering period usually goes from late spring to early summer; in some locations, however, Cordia boissieri blooms several times a year or even continuously during the entire vegetation period. The trumpet-shaped flowers are about 4 to 7 cm tall; they are predominantly white, but yellow inside.
The fruit is round, yellow-green and about 2.5 cm in size; it contains one, rarely up to four seeds. The fruits are slightly poisonous raw and can cause dizziness; at least when cooked, they are safe to eat. The fruits are eaten by birds.
Distribution and location
The homeland of the Cordia boissieri stretches from the US state of Texas south to central Mexico ; the deposits extend over the Mexican states of Coahuila , Nuevo León , San Luis Potosi , Tamaulipas and Veracruz . The natural occurrences are so rare that the plant is considered to be threatened.
The plants tolerate frost down to about −8 ° C. In other climatically particularly mild regions of the southern USA , including California , Arizona and Florida , it is cultivated as an ornamental tree.
Multiplication
Propagation from seeds is somewhat difficult; temperatures above 35 ° C are favorable for germination. Propagation from cuttings cut in summer is more convenient.
Others
A particularly stately specimen of the Cordia boisseri from Mercedes in the US state of Texas is registered in the “National Register of Big Trees” of “American Forests” . Its dimensions (as of 1995) were 7.5 m high, crown diameter 11.6 m and 0.6 m trunk diameter.
Systematics
The first description by Alphonse Louis Pierre Pyrame de Candolle was published in 1845. The type epithet honors the Swiss botanist Pierre Edmond Boissier (1810–1885).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Cordia boissieri. In: desert-tropicals.com .
- ↑ Distribution map , US Department of Agriculture (PDF; 696 kB)
- ↑ Cordia boissieri. ( Memento of the original from April 4, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: americanforests.org , accessed April 28, 2007.
- ↑ Prodr. 9: 478. 1845
Web links
- Cordia boissieri. In: GRIN Taxonomy for Plants. (English)
- Cordia boissieri. In: desert-tropicals.com. (English)
- Cordia boissieri. In: US Forest Service. (English, PDF file, 1,697 kB)
- Cordia boissieri. In: University of Arizona. (English)