English: Geiger tree.
Genus: ± 150 species
Region: central America, Panama, Honduras, Belize, Mexico; Caribbean, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Florida.
Habitat: dry districts; sandy soils; along sea coast; elevations up to 185 metres; sandy thickets; limestone rocks in arid coastal areas; requires a sunny position; resistant to salt-laden winds; drought tolerant.
Use: edible fruit, raw or cooked; medicinal; wood for timber, carpentry; ornamental; leaves like sandpaper for polishing surfaces.
BotanyTree; small; up to 10 metres tall; evergreen or deciduous; dense crown; tough but slow-growing tree.
Stem: 30 cm in diameter; heartwood dark brown, fine-textured, hard, heavy.
Leaves: large, 18 cm long; stiff; dark green; rough; hairy, feeling like sandpaper.
Flowers: large; bright orange-red.
Fruit: plum-like; white when fully ripe; 4 cm long; pleasant fragrance, poor flavour; somewhat fibrous; sweet, but quite mucilaginous.
TaxonomyCordia sebastana is the type species of the Sebastana clade of Cordia. It includes the generan Gerascanthus, Rhabdocalyx, Cordia decandra, Auxemma, Patagonula and Saccellium.
Coridia has main subgenera: Cordoa myxa,
Cordia sebastana, Cordia Gearscanthus, Varronia.
Myxa subclade, with Cordia Myxa, Cordia dentata, Cordia lutea.