Cordia alliodora

Cordia alliodora is a species of flowering tree in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that is native to the American tropics.[1] It is commonly known as Spanish elm, Ecuador laurel,[2] cypre[1] or salmwood.[1] It can reach 35 m in height.

Cordia alliodora
Sapling
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Boraginales
Family: Boraginaceae
Genus: Cordia
Species:
C. alliodora
Binomial name
Cordia alliodora
(Ruiz & Pav.) Oken
Synonyms[1]

Cerdana alliodora Ruiz & Pav.

Uses

Cordia alliodora is one of several Cordia trees called bocote in Spanish and its wood, which has very little figure, is usually called freijo or jennywood along with that of Cordia goeldiana. The wood is used for boat decking, furniture, cabinetry and guitar/bass building luthiers and sometimes substitutes for mahogany or teak.

Environmental aspects

Outside of its indigenous range, Cordia alliodora has been identified as a problematic invasive species.[3] For example, a timber-focused planting program of the species in Vanuatu during the mid-1970s has over time proved disruptive to native ecosystems and communities. The species has been described as a severe environmental nuisance, as it has overtaken natural forests by multiplying at a faster rate than being harvested, and has become susceptible to outbreaks of a form of root rot known as Phellinus noxius.[4]

References
  1. "Cordia alliodora". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  2. Mabberley, D.J. (1997). The plant book: A portable dictionary of the vascular plants. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  3. Edward, Ezekiel; Munishi, Pantaleo K. T.; Hulme, Philip E. (2009). "Relative Roles of Disturbance and Propagule Pressure on the Invasion of Humid Tropical Forest byCordia alliodora(Boraginaceae) in Tanzania". Biotropica. 41 (2): 171–178. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2008.00474.x. ISSN 0006-3606.
  4. Country report on the forestry invasive species situation in Vanuatu. Proceedings of the Asia-Pacific Forest Invasive Species Conference. Kunming, Yunnan Province, China 17–23 August 2003. http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/ae944e/ae944e0a.htm
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