Cordia myxa

Cordia myxa, also called Sebesten plum, Assyrian plum, Indian cherry, Glue berry, Lasura, or Bambar is a mid-sized, deciduous tree in the family Cordiaceae, native to Asia. It produces small, edible fruit and is found in warmer areas across Africa and Asia. It is found growing primarily in Asia, as well as, across the globe especially in tropical regions having the right type of geophysical environment. It is seen coming up naturally and growing abundantly from Myanmar in the east to Lebanon and Syria in the west. Its habitat starts at about 200 metres (660 ft) above mean sea level in the plains and ascends to an altitude around 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) in the hills.

Description

A shrubby evergreen tree. It grows to 12 m high. The trunk can be 1-1.5 m wide. The leaves are broad and pointed and have teeth along the edges. The male and female flowers are white or cream and in loose panicles at the ends of branches. The fruit are small and nutlike. They are yellow, orange-pink or black. It has sweet, sticky flesh.

Edible Uses

The ripe fruit are eaten fresh or mixed with honey to make sweetmeats. Young tender fruit are eaten as a vegetable, pickled, or dried and stored. Seed kernels are eaten. Leaves are boiled in water then mixed with salt and chilli peppers. Flowers are also eaten.

Traditional Uses

The leaves are boiled in water then mixed with salt and chilli peppers. The flowers are also eaten. The ripe fruit are eaten. They are mixed with honey to make a sweetmeat. The seed kernels are eaten. The young tender fruit are eaten as a vegetable. They are also pickled. They can be dried and stored.

Medicinal Uses

The leaves are boiled in water and mixed with salt and chilli peppers in traditional use.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows on rocky soils. It grows in dry to moist deciduous forests between 200-1,500 m above sea level. It can grow in deserts and arid conditions. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

Where It Grows

Africa, Asia, Australia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, China*, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Guam, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Ivory Coast, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Nigeria, North Africa, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Palestine, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Vanuatu, Yemen, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed. Seeds are soaked in cold water for 6 hours before planting and then germinate in 40-60 days. Seedlings in a nursery can be planted out after 4-6 months. It can also be grown by stem cuttings.

Propagation

Seed - very slow to germinate, the process can be sped up if the seed is scarified by lightly abrading the seedcoat to allow easier ingress of water. Pre-soak the seed in cold water for 6 hours before sowing - a germination rate of 50 - 80% can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 40 - 60 days. Young plants can be planted in their permanent positions 4 - 6 months later. Cuttings.

Other Uses

A fibre obtained from the stem bark is used to make twine and cordage. The fibre is also used for caulking boats. The fibrous bark is used for cordage. The green leaves are used for dyeing along with Morinda tinctoria. The juice of the fruit is used as a dye. There is a substance in the fruit that will stain linen, but not indelibly. The ash of the young branches is used to make soap. The sticky, mucilaginous pulp of the fruit is used as a glue. The leaves are used as plates. The wood has been used as fire-sticks. The yellow-brown wood is soft but strong, easy to polish. It is used for furniture making, cabinet work, well curbs, boats and agricultural implements. The wood makes an excellent fuel. The plant is used in shelter-belts in semi-arid regions to prevent soil erosion. Used as a shade tree in coffee plantations in Yemen.

Production

It is fairly fast growing. It starts flowering when 3-5 years old. It flowers and fruits all year round. Fruit ripen in 30-45 days. A tree can produce 20 kg of fruit is a year.

Other Information

It is fairly commonly used in West Africa.

Notes

There are about 300 Cordia species.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Balatha, Bhokri, Clammy-cherry, Glue berry, Gonda, Goy, Gundi, Idondo, Iriki, Lamotinalika, Lasoda, Lasura, Magora, Nakerachettu, N'tegue, Pohon lasura, Samadjo, Sapistan, Sebesten-plum, Selu, Shelti, Sudan teak, Taung-thanut, Thanat, Vidi maram, Wadganda

References (47)

• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 46
• Aberoumand, A., 2008, Comparison of protein values from seven wild edible plants of Iran. African Journal of Food Science. Vol 2. pp 73-76
• Aberoumand, A. and Deokule, S. S., 2009, Determination of Elements Profile of Some Wild Edible Plants. Food Anal. Methods. 2:116-119
• Ambe, G., 2001, Les fruits sauvages comestibles des savanes guinéennes de Côte-d’Ivoire : état de la connaissance par une population locale, les Malinké. Biotechnol. Agron. Soc. Environ. 5(1), 43-48
• Angami, A., et al, 2006, Status and potential of wild edible plants of Arunachal Pradesh. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge 5(4) October 2006, pp 541-550

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