West African cordia
Cordia platythyrsa
Family: Boraginaceae
What it is like
A tree. It grows 20-30 m high. The stem changes directions at the rings of branches. The trunk can be 1 m across. The leaves are almost round with a tip at the end. They are 15-20 cm long by 10-15 cm wide. There are 3 veins at the base and 3 pairs of side veins. The fruit are oval and fleshy and 1.5 cm long. There is a small point at the end. There are 1 or 2 seeds per fruit.
There are about 300 Cordia species.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in secondary forest.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Benin, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Togo, West Africa
How it is used for food
The tree is planted because of the good furniture wood.
Edible parts
Fruit
How it is grown
Plants can be grown from seed. Fresh seed germinate in 10-12 days.
Its other names
Local names
Bon, Do, Ebe, Ka-fundoba, Kayu, Mbabi, Mukumari, Omo, Puli, Pulii, Sao