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 (including Hawaii).[1] 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.[2] In the Marshall Islands it is known as kono.[3]
Distribution
This species has a very wide range from the east coast of Africa west throughout tropical Asia and Oceania, as far west as Hawaii. This distribution was achieved due to special characteristics of its fruit allowing for successful oceanic dispersal.[4] Prior to 2001, C. subcordata was considered to be a Polynesian introduction to Hawaii by many authorities, but subfossil evidence from Makauwahi Cave in Kauai indicates that it was an abundant species in Hawaiian lowland forests well before humans arrived, confirming its status as an indigenous species.[5]
Description
C. subcordata grows to Template:Convert at maturity, but may be as tall as Template:Convert. It has ovate leaves that are Template:Convert and Template:Convert wide.[6]
Flowers
The tubular flowers of C. subcordata are Template:Convert in diameter and form cymes or panicles.[6] Petals are orange and the sepals are pale green. Blooming occurs throughout the year, but most flowers are produced in the spring.[7]
Fruit
C. subcordata produces brown fruit year round. They are spherical, Template:Convert long, and woody when mature. Each fruit contains four or fewer seeds that are Template:Convert long. The fruit are buoyant and may be carried long distances by ocean currents.[6]
Habitat
C. subcordata is a tree of the coasts, found at elevations from sea level to Template:Convert, but may grow at up to Template:Convert. It grows in areas that receive Template:Convert of annual rainfall. C. subcordata prefers neutral to alkaline soils (pH of 6.1 to 7.4), 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.[6]
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.[6] The wood of the tree has a specific gravity of 0.45, is soft, durable, easily worked,[7] and resistant to termites. In [[Ancient Hawaii|ancient HawaiTemplate:Okinai]] kou wood was used to make Template:Okinaumeke (bowls), utensils, and Template:Okinaumeke lāTemplate:Okinaau (large calabashes) because it did not impart a foul taste to food. Template:OkinaUmeke lāTemplate:Okinaau were 8–16 litres (2–4 gal) and used to store and ferment poi. The flowers were used to make lei, while a dye for kapa cloth and aho (fishing lines) was derived from the leaves.[6]
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.[8]
Threats
Despite its very wide distribution, this species faces threats in parts of its range. During the mid-late 19th century, herbivory by the kou moth (Ethmia nigroapicella) nearly extirpated this species on the Hawaiian Islands.[9] It is thought to be highly endangered in Sri Lanka, only persisting at a small number of sites that are under pressure from development.[4] Logging of mature trees to create carvings for the tourism industry is also thought to be a threat throughout much of Papuasia. In addition, it may potentially be threatened by storms and sea level rise.[10]
See also
References
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedGRIN - ↑ Korte mededeelingen - Cordia Subcordata{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Cornell University(1936)
- ↑ Native plants of the Marshalls. Republic of the Marshall Islands Biodiversity Clearing House Mechanism. RMI Office of Environmental Planning and Policy Coordination(2 October 2008). Retrieved 7 September 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 A refugium for Cordia subcordata (Boraginaceae), a very rare and endangered plant in Sri Lanka and strategies for its conservation. Ceylon Journal of Science (Biological Sciences)({Template:Date).
- ↑ [0615:FEFADB2.0.CO;2 FOSSIL EVIDENCE FOR A DIVERSE BIOTA FROM KAUA‘I AND ITS TRANSFORMATION SINCE HUMAN ARRIVAL]. Ecological Monographs({Template:Date).
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Cordia subcordata (kou). Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry({Template:Date).
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cordia subcordata Lam., Allen, James A.. Reforestation, Nurseries & Genetics Resources(2003-01-01). Retrieved 2009-02-24.
- ↑ Pawley, Andrew; Osmond, Meredith (eds). 2008. The lexicon of Proto Oceanic: The culture and environment of ancestral Oceanic society Template:Webarchive. Volume 3: Plants Template:Webarchive. Pacific Linguistics 599. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, Australian National University.
- ↑ The Kou Moth, Ethmia colonella Walsm., in Hawaii. Hawaiian Entomological Society({Template:Date).
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namediucn status 19 November 2021
External links
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