Cordia subcordata


Cordia subcordata is a species of flowering tree in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that occurs in eastern Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, northern Australia and the Pacific Islands. The plant is known by a variety of names including beach cordia, sea trumpet, and kerosene wood, among others.

Names

Other names for the species include kanawa, tou, kou, mareer, manjak, snottygobbles, glueberry, narrow-leafed bird lime tree, In Java and Madura, it is known as kalimasada, purnamasada, or pramasada; Javanese folklore consider the tree to contain spiritual power. In the Marshall Islands it is known as kono.

Description

C. subcordata grows to at maturity, but may be as tall as. It has ovate leaves that are and wide.

Flowers

The tubular flowers of C. subcordata are in diameter and form cymes or panicles. Petals are orange and the sepals are pale green. Blooming occurs throughout the year, but most flowers are produced in the spring.

Fruit

C. subcordata produces fruit year round. They are spherical, long, and woody when mature. Each fruit contains four or fewer seeds that are long. The fruit are buoyant and may be carried long distances by ocean currents.

Habitat

C. subcordata is a tree of the coasts, found at elevations from sea level to, but may grow at up to. It grows in areas that receive of annual rainfall. C. subcordata prefers neutral to alkaline soils, such as those originating from basalt, limestone, clay, or sand. Allowable soil textures include sand, sandy loam, loam, sandy clay loam, sandy clay, clay loam, and clay.

Uses

The seeds are edible and have been eaten during famine. C. subcordata burns readily, and this led to the nickname of "Kerosene Tree" in Papua New Guinea. The wood of the tree has a specific gravity of 0.45, is soft, durable, easily worked, and resistant to termites. In ancient Hawaii kou wood was used to make umeke, utensils, and umeke lāau because it did not impart a foul taste to food. Umeke lāau were 8–16 litres and used to store and ferment poi. The flowers were used to make lei, while a dye for kapa cloth and aho was derived from the leaves.
In the western Solomon Islands, in Vanuatu, on Waya Island, and in Tonga, it is used for carving. On New Ireland, its wood is always used for the ceremonial entrances to men's houses.