Cordia dichotoma

Cordia dichotoma
Cordia dichotoma leaves in Hyderabad, India.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	(unplaced)
Family:	Boraginaceae
Genus:	Cordia
Species:	C. dichotoma
Binomial name
Cordia dichotoma G.Forst.[1]

Cordia dichotoma is a species of flowering tree in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that is native to the Indomalaya ecozone, northern Australia, and western Melanesia.^[1] Common names include fragrant manjack, snotty gobbles, glue berry, pink pearl, bird lime tree, Indian cherry, लसोड़ा lasoda (Hindi) and lasura (Nepali). The fruit is known as phoà-pò·-chí (破布子), 樹子仔, or 樹子 in Taiwan.

Description

Cordia dichotoma is a small to moderate-sized deciduous tree with a short bole and spreading crown. The stem bark is greyish brown, smooth or longitudinally wrinkled. Flowers are short-stalked, bisexual, white in colour which open only at night. The fruit is a yellow or pinkish-yellow shining globose which turns black on ripening and the pulp gets viscid.

Habitat and range

Cordia dichotoma is native to China (Fujian, Guangdong Guangxi, Guizhou, southeast Xizang, and Yunnan) the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Australia (Northern Territory and Queensland) and New Caledonia.^[1] It is a tree of tropical and subtropical regions. It is found in a variety of forests ranging from the dry deciduous forests of Rajasthan to the moist deciduous forests of Western Ghats and tidal forests in Myanmar.

Ecology

The larvae of the butterfly Arhopala micale feed on leaves of C. dichotoma.

Uses

The immature fruits are pickled and are also used as a vegetable fodder. The leaves also yield good fodder. The seed kernel has medicinal properties. It is often cultivated for its fruits throughout the range of its natural distribution. In Burma, the Pa-O people grow the tree (called "thanapet") for its edible leaves.

Symbolism

It is the symbol of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province in Thailand.

A jar of Taiwanese Cordia dichotoma fruits with ginger

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  Cordia dichotoma trunk in Hyderabad, India.

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  Cordia dichotoma flowers in Hyderabad, India.

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  Cordia dichotoma flowers in Hyderabad, India.

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  Cordia dichotoma flowers in Hyderabad, India.

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  Cordia dichotoma foliage.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Taxon: Cordia dichotoma G. Forst.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2001-04-24. http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?11477. Retrieved 2011-04-18.