View source for Cordia

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants in the borage family}}
{{for-multi|the automobile|Mitsubishi Cordia|the insect genus|Cordia (insect)}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|image = Cordia boisseri flowers.jpg
|image_caption = ''[[Cordia boissieri]]'' in bloom
|taxon = Cordia
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
|subdivision_ranks = [[Species]]
|subdivision = 228; see text
|subdivision_ref = <ref name = powo>[https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30003373-2 ''Cordia'' L.] ''[[Plants of the World Online]]''. Retrieved 8 July 2024.</ref>
|type_species = ''[[Cordia myxa]]''
|type_species_authority=L.<!--1753--><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40014011 |title=''Cordia'' L. |work=TROPICOS |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden |access-date=2009-10-20}}</ref>
|synonyms = {{collapsible list|
*''Acnadena'' {{small|Raf. (1838)}}
*''Ascanica'' {{small|Crantz (1766)}}
*''Auxemma'' {{small|Miers (1875)}}
*''Borellia'' {{small|Neck. (1790), opus utique oppr.}}
*''Bourgia'' {{small|Scop. (1777)}}
*''Calyptracordia'' {{small|Britton (1925)}}
*''Carpiphea'' {{small|Raf. (1838)}}
*''Catonia'' {{small|Raf. (1837), nom. illeg.}}
*''Cerdana'' <small>[[Ruiz y Pavón|Ruiz & Pav.]] (1794)</small>
*''Cienkowskia'' {{small|Regel & Rach (1859)}}
*''Coilanthera'' {{small|Raf. (1838)}}
*''Collococcus'' {{small|P.Browne (1756)}}
*''Colococca'' {{small|Raf. (1838)}}
*''Cordiada'' <small>Vell. (1829)</small>
*''Cordiopsis'' <small>Desv. (1825)</small>
*''Ectemis'' {{small|Raf. (1838)}}
*''Gerascanthus'' {{small|P.Browne (1756)}}
*''Gynaion'' {{small|A.DC. (1845)}}
*''Hemigymnia'' {{small|Griff. (1843)}}
*''Lithocardium'' {{small|L. ex Kuntze (1891), nom. superfl.}}
*''Macielia'' {{small|Vand. (1788)}}
*''Macria'' {{small|Ten. (1847), nom. illeg.}}
*''Myxa'' {{small|(Endl.) Lindl. in Veg. Kingd.: 629 (1846)}}
*''Novella'' {{small|Raf. (1838)}}
*''Paradigma'' {{small|Miers (1875)}}
*''Patagonica'' {{small|Boehm. (1760), nom. superfl.}}
*''Patagonula'' {{small|L. (1753)}}
*''Physoclada'' {{small|(DC.) Lindl. (1846)}}
*''Pilicordia'' {{small|(A.DC.) Lindl. (1846)}}
*''Plethostephia'' {{small|Miers (1875)}}
*''Purkinjia'' {{small|C.Presl (1834)}}
*''Quarena'' {{small|Raf. (1838)}}
*''Rhabdocalyx'' <small>Lindl. (1846)</small>
*''Saccellium'' {{small|Bonpl. (1806)}}
*''Salimori'' {{small|Adans. (1763)}}
*''Sebestena'' <small>Gaertn. (1788), nom. illeg.</small>
*''Sebestena'' <small>Boehm. (1760)</small>
*''Toquera'' {{small|Raf. (1838)}}
*''Tsiemtani'' {{small|Adans. (1763)}}
}}
|synonyms_ref = <ref name = powo/>
}}

'''''Cordia''''' is a [[genus]] of [[flowering plant]]s in the [[borage]] family, [[Boraginaceae]]. It contains 228 species of shrubs and trees, that are found in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.<ref name = powo/> Many of the species are commonly called '''manjack''', while '''{{lang|es|bocote}}''' may refer to several [[Central America]]n species in Spanish.

The generic name honours German botanist and pharmacist [[Valerius Cordus]] (1515–1544).<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=esMPU5DHEGgC |first=Umberto |last=Quattrocchi |title=CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: A-C |year=2000 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-0-8493-2675-2 |pages=612–613}}</ref> Like most other Boraginaceae, the majority have [[trichome]]s (hairs) on the leaves.

==Taxonomy==
The taxonomy of ''Cordia'' is complex and controversial. Gottschling et al. (2005) say this is partly due to "extraordinarily high intraspecific variability" in some groups of species, making identification difficult, and partly due to new taxa having been "airily described on the basis of poorly preserved herbarium specimens".<ref name=GottMillWeigHilg05>{{Cite journal |last1=Gottschling |first1=Marc |last2=Miller |first2=James S. |last3=Weigend |first3=Maximilian |last4=Hilger |first4=Hartmut H. |date=2005-10-01 |title=Congruence of a Phylogeny of Cordiaceae (Boraginales) Inferred from ITS1 Sequence Data with Morphology, Ecology, and Biogeography |journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden |volume=92 |issue=3 |pages=425–437 |jstor=40035480 |name-list-style=amp }}</ref>

===Selected species===
{{Main|List of Cordia species|l1=List of ''Cordia'' species}}
{{Div col}}
*''[[Cordia africana]]'' <small>Lam.<!--1792--></small> – White manjack
*''[[Cordia alliodora]]'' <small>([[Ruiz y Pavón|Ruiz & Pav.]]) [[Lorenz Oken|Oken]]<!--1841--></small> – Spanish elm, Ecuador laurel, salmwood, bocote ([[Neotropical realm|Neotropics]])<ref name="Elsevier">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yjc5ZYWtkNAC |title=Elsevier's Dictionary of Trees |first=Miroslav M. |last=Grandtner |volume=1 |publisher=Elsevier |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-444-51784-5 |pages=252–260}}</ref>
*''[[Cordia boissieri]]'' <small>[[Alphonse Pyramus de Candolle|A.DC.]]<!--1845--></small> – Anacahuita, Texas olive (southern [[Texas]], Northern [[Mexico]])
*''[[Cordia curassavica]]'' <small>(Jacq.) Roem. & Schult.</small> – Black sage, wild sage
*''[[Cordia dentata]]'' <small>Poir.</small> – White manjack
*''[[Cordia dichotoma]]'' <small>G.Forst<!--1786--></small> – Fragrant manjack, bird lime tree (Tropical Asia and [[Australasia]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://florawww.eeb.uconn.edu/acc_num/198500500.html |title=''Cordia dichotoma'' Forst. f. |work=Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Plant Growth Facilities |publisher=University of Connecticut |date=2009-10-06 |access-date=2009-10-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515210142/http://florawww.eeb.uconn.edu/acc_num/198500500.html |archive-date=2008-05-15 }}</ref>
*''[[Cordia leucophlyctis]]'' {{small|Hook f.}} – (endemic to the [[Galápagos Islands]])
*''[[Cordia lutea]]'' {{small|Lam.}} – Yellow cordia (western South America, including the [[Galápagos Islands]])
*''[[Cordia monoica]]''
*''[[Cordia myxa]]'' <small>L.<!--1753--></small> – Assyrian plum ([[South Asia]])<!--This is a misapplied synonym for C. domestica--><br />''[[Cordia domestica]]'' is treated as a separate species by some sources, and as ''C. myxa'' var. ''domestica'' by others.<ref name="TPL_kew-2736727">{{cite web |title=''Cordia domestica'' |work=The Plant List |url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2736727 |access-date=2015-06-26}}</ref> ''[[Cordia obliqua]]'' {{small|Willd.}} (the clammy cherry) has been placed in the "''Cordia myxa'' complex",<ref name=GRIN>{{GRIN | ''Cordia obliqua'' | 11491 | accessdate = 2015-06-26}}</ref> or treated as a [[Synonym (taxonomy)|synonym]] for ''[[Cordia dichotoma]]''.<ref name="kew-2737055">{{cite web |title=''Cordia obliqua'' |work=The Plant List |url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2737055 |access-date=2015-06-26}}</ref>
*''[[Cordia platythyrsa]]'' <small>Baker</small> – West African cordia
*''[[Cordia rupicola]]'' <small>Urban</small> – Puerto Rico manjack ([[Puerto Rico]])
*''[[Cordia sebestena]]'' <small>L.<!--1753--></small> – Geiger tree, large-leaf Geigertree (southern [[Florida]], [[Greater Antilles]], [[Central America]])
*''[[Cordia sinensis]]'' <small>[[Jean-Baptiste Lamarck|Lam.]]</small> (=''C. gharaf'') – Grey-leafed saucerberry
*''[[Cordia subcordata]]'' <small>Lam.<!--1792--></small> – ''Kou'', ''tou'', ''marer'' ([[Africa]], [[South Asia]], [[Southeast Asia]], northern [[Australia]], [[Pacific Islands]])
*''[[Cordia sulcata]]'' <small>DC.</small> – Mucilage manjack, laylay, white manjack, wild clammy cherry
*''[[Cordia trichotoma]]'' <small>(Vell.) Arráb. ex Steud.</small>
{{Div col end}}

===Formerly placed here===
* ''[[Carmona retusa]]'' <small>(Vahl) Masam.</small> (as ''C. retusa'' <small>Vahl</small>)<ref name="GRINSpecies">{{cite web |url=https://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?2921 |title=Species Records of ''Cordia''|work=Germplasm Resources Information Network |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |access-date=2010-08-21}}</ref>

==Ecology==
''Cordia'' species are used as food plants by the [[caterpillar]]s of some [[Lepidoptera]] species, such as ''[[Endoclita malabaricus]]'', ''[[Bucculatrix caribbea]]'', and ''[[Bucculatrix cordiaella]]''.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=13796205 |first=Donald R. |last=Davis |author2=Bernard Landry |author3=Lazaro Roque-albelo  |title=Two new Neotropical species of Bucculatrix leaf miners (Lepidoptera: Bucculatricidae) reared from Cordia (Boraginaceae) |journal=[[Revue suisse de Zoologie]] |volume=109 |issue=2 |year=2002 |pages=277–294 |doi=10.5962/bhl.part.79591|doi-access=free }}</ref> The wild olive tortoise beetle (''[[Physonota alutacea]]'') feeds on ''[[Cordia boissieri|C. boissieri]]'', ''[[Cordia dentata|C. dentata]]'', ''[[Cordia inermis|C. inermis]]'', and ''[[Cordia macrostachya|C. macrostachya]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.texasento.net/Physonota.htm |first=Mike |last=Quinn |title=Wild Olive Tortoise Beetle ''Physonota alutacea'' Boheman, 1854 |work=Texas Beetle Information |publisher=Texas Entomology |access-date=2010-04-05}}</ref>

==Uses==
===Ornamental===
Many members of this genus have fragrant, showy [[flower]]s and are popular in [[garden]]s, although they are not especially hardy.<ref name="Bennett">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/pulmonariasborag00benn |url-access=registration |title=Pulmonarias and the Borage Family |first=Masha |last=Bennett |year=2003 |publisher=Timber Press |isbn=978-0-88192-589-0 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/pulmonariasborag00benn/page/196 196]–198}}</ref>

===As food===
A number of the tropical species have edible [[fruit]]s, known by a wide variety of names including '''clammy cherries''', '''glue berries''', '''sebesten''', or '''snotty gobbles'''.  In [[India]], the fruits of local species are used as a [[vegetable]], raw, cooked, or [[Indian pickle|pickled]], and are known by many names, including ''lasora'' in [[Hindi]]. One such species is fragrant manjack (''[[Cordia dichotoma|C. dichotoma]]''), which is called ''gunda'' or ''tenti dela'' in Hindi and ''lasura'' in [[Bucculatrix|Nepali]].  The fruit of the fragrant manjack is called ''phoà-pò·-chí'' (破布子), 樹子仔,<!--need POJ--> or 樹子([[Pe̍h-ōe-jī]]: chhiū-chí) in [[Taiwan]] where they are eaten [[Pickling|pickled]].

===Glue===
The white, gooey inner pulp of the fruits is traditionally used to make glue.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}

=== Wood ===
The wood of several ''Cordia'' species is commercially harvested. Ecuador laurel (''[[Cordia alliodora|C. alliodora]]''), ''ziricote'' (''[[Cordia dodecandra|C. dodecandra]]''), Spanish elm (''[[Cordia gerascanthus|C. gerascanthus]]''), and ''[[Cordia goeldiana|C. goeldiana]]'' are used to make furniture and doors in Central and South America.<ref name="Bennett"/>

''Ziricote''<ref>http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts.asp?CategoryName=+Backs+and+Sides&NameProdHeader=Ziricote Luthiers Mercantile page about Ziricote</ref> and ''bocote''<ref>http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts.asp?CategoryName=+Backs+and+Sides&NameProdHeader=Bocote Luthiers Mercantile page about Ziricote</ref> are sometimes used as [[tonewood]]s for making the backs and sides of high-end [[acoustic guitar]]s such as the [[Richard Thompson (musician)|Richard Thompson]] signature model from [[George Lowden|Lowden]].<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.richardthompson-music.com/docs/Guitar%20Player.pdf |first=Anil |last=Presad |title=Richard Thompson |journal=Guitar Player |date=October 2009 |page=50 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610003500/http://www.richardthompson-music.com/docs/Guitar%20Player.pdf |archive-date=2011-06-10 }}</ref> Similarly, [[drum]]s are made from ''[[Cordia abyssinica|C. abyssinica]]'', ''[[Cordia millenii|C. millenii]]'', and ''[[Cordia platythyrsa|C. platythyrsa]]'' due to the resonance of the wood.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lUvmxt3_OGgC |first=Colin |last=Tudge |title=The Tree |publisher=Random House |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-307-39539-9 |page=237}}</ref>

=== Smoking ===
Cordia leaves can be dried and used to smoke marijuana with.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-01-13|title=Why leaf pre-rolled cones make the cleanest, tobacco-free blunts|url=https://www.leafly.com/news/strains-products/leaf-cones-make-cleanest-tobacco-free-blunts|access-date=2021-01-14|website=Leafly|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Image:Cordia sinensis.jpg| ''C. sinensis'' foliage and fruit.
Image:Cordia sinensis trees.jpg|''C. sinensis'' trees.
Image:Cordia_goetzei_@_Lake_Manyara_NP_HQ.JPG|Fruits of ''Cordia goetzei''
</gallery>

==References==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikispecies}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q716132}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cordia| ]]
[[Category:Fruit vegetables]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Boraginaceae genera]]