Cordia africana (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007)
| Cordia africana (Bekele-Tesemma, 2007) |
Cordia africana Boraginaceae Indigenous
Common names
- English: Large-leaved cordia
- Agewgna: Bugitsi
- Amargna: Wanza, Anu, Urogu
- Bertagna: Abanga
- Gimirigna: Giku
- Gumuzgna: Banja
- Guragigna: Odesha
- Mejengrgna: Dampaeu, Dampe
- Nuyergna: Urogu
- Oromugna: Diho, Wodesa
- Somaligna: Wadicho
- Tigrigna: Auhi, Ekhi
Ecology
From Guinea in West Africa east to Ethiopia and south to South Africa; also in the Arabian Peninsula. A tree common in Polyscias and Podocarpus forest, as a forest remnant in cultivated areas, and is used as a shade tree in coffee plantations. It grows well in Dry, Moist and Wet Weyna Dega agroclimatic zones in almost all regions, 900–2,500 m.
Uses
Firewood, timber (furniture, beehives, boxes, mortars), food (fruit), medicine (juice from bark, roots), fodder (leaves), bee forage, shade, ornamental, mulch, soil conservation.
Description
A much-branched deciduous tree with rounded crown and often crooked trunk, to 25 m, from a short bole.
- BARK: Grey or pale brown, finely grooved but rough with age.
- LEAVES: Large, oval, 20 x 15 cm, base rounded, veins prominent below; young shoots, leaf stalks, underside of leaves covered with soft brown hairs.
- FLOWERS: Showy, funnel shaped, thin white petals, sweet scented and attractive to bees.
- FRUIT: Yellowish, 1 cm in hairy cups. Flesh sticky and edible, each fruit containing 4–6 seeds embedded in one stone.
Propagation
Wildings, seedlings. Sow in seed bed, separate carefully the germinants coming from one stone and prick out into pots.
Seed
Germination rate is 50–80% in 40–60 days, slow and uneven germination. Fruits should be de-pulped immediately after collection by rubbing over a wire mesh under flowing water. Sand can be added to facilitate the process. Pulp and stones can then be separated by floating in water. 2,500–4,500 stones per kg; each stone contains several seed (multi-germ).
- Treatment: None required.
- Storage: De-pulped fruit can be stored for some time.
Management
Requires 5–7 months in a nursery before planting out. Easy to raise and reasonably fast growing. Pollarding, lopping, coppicing.
Remarks
The heartwood is hard and durable and takes a good polish, so the timber is prized for furniture, but can be twisted and difficult to saw. Plantations should be dense to encourage straight growth. The tree tends to branch heavily if planted in full sunlight. Provides good mulch. A useful tree for homesteads and in crop land.
