Cordia sinensis

Cordia sinensis is a species of flowering tree in the family Cordiaceae. Common names include grey-leaved saucer berry, grey-leaved cordia, marer, mnya mate, mkamasi and tadana. It is found in Africa and Asia.

Description

A tangled shrub or small tree. It loses its leaves during the year. It is 3-12 m tall. The trunk is crooked. It has many branches and these often droop over. The bark is grey and smooth when young. It later becomes dark and roughly grooved. The leaves are grey-green. They are narrow and oblong. They can be 9 cm long. They feel rough to touch and have hairs on both sides. The tip of the leaf is rounded. The leaf stalk is 1 cm long. Leaves are almost opposite. The flowers are small and like tubes. The 4 or 5 petals are bent backwards. They are fused into a short tube at the base. The flowers are creamy white. They have a sweet smell. The flowers occur in clusters at the ends of branches. They grow on branched hairy stalks. The fruit is oval and 2 cm long. It has a tip at the end and is held in a cup of leaves (calyx). The fruit is orange-red and has a sticky edible pulp. There are 1-4 tiny seeds. The seeds are embedded in a clear pulp.

Edible Uses

The orange-red fruit has a sticky edible pulp that is eaten raw when ripe, or eaten green as a vegetable and pickled; the skin is removed and seeds discarded. The fruit can be added to porridge as a sweetener or fermented into beer. The roots are eaten raw, and the clear gum from the tree is also edible.

Traditional Uses

The fruit is eaten green as a vegetable or pickled. They are sweet and sticky. The skin is removed and the seeds are not eaten. They are added to porridge instead of sugar. The roots are eaten raw. The clear gum from the tree is edible. The ripe fruit is eaten raw. The fruit are fermented into beer.

Medicinal Uses

The fruits are edible and are eaten in a variety of cuisine. The gum from the tree is also edible. The timber is used as firewood and for making furniture and tools. The leaves are an important source of animal fodder. Both roots and bark are used to treat a variety of disorders in both humans and livestock, including malaria, intestinal disorders and conjunctivitis. In Turkana, the fruit is often eaten fresh, or collected into large quantities, dried, and stored. After storage it is rehydrated for consumption. The fruit is also used for juice, or to make beer, sometimes mixed with tamarind prior to fermentation. In the Tanout and Gouré Departments of Niger, the juicy pulp of the fruits is cooked down into a thick syrup locally called kango, which serves as a sweetener for porridges and can be preserved for a long time.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It is widespread in Africa at low altitudes and in dry areas. It is more common in dry river beds. It can grow on sandy or salty soils. In Africa it grows from sea level to 1,400 m above sea level. In Tanzania it grows in areas with a rainfall between 600-1,000 mm. It can grow in arid places. It grows on gravelly soils and in wasteland. It is drought hardy. In Pakistan it is found in dry areas up to 300 m above sea level. It grows in the lowlands and often along rivers.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Arabia, Asia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Chad, East Africa, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mediterranean, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, Oman, Pakistan, Sahel, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Senegal, Socotra, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

It can be grown from seed or cuttings. Plants also grow naturally. (There are 14,000 seeds per kg.) When seed are sown fresh no treatment is necessary. For stored seed they should have warm water poured over them then be allowed to soak before being planted. Seed can be stored for 3 months at room temperature. It is best to plant seeds where they are to grow.

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. Germination rates of up to 80% can be achieved.

Other Uses

A fibre obtained from the inner bark is used for making ropes, caulking boats etc. Very strong. The bark is used for covering local huts. A gum obtained from the damaged bark is used to adulterate gum arabic (obtained from Acacia senegal and other spp). The heart-wood is brown and slightly scented; the sapwood is yellowish. The wood is hard. A good quality wood, it is used as a substitute for sandalwood in Sudan, and is used generally for roofing, construction of local houses, tool handles, walking sticks, arrow shafts, clubs etc. Larger pieces are hollowed out to make pots. The wood is used for fuel.

Production

It is a fairly slow growing plant. In India the fruit are available August to February.

Other Information

The fruit are eaten especially by children. It is a cultivated fruit tree. The fruit are sold in markets.

Notes

The fruit are high in Vitamins. There are about 300 Cordia species.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Adome, Andarab, Cambununo, Chinnabotuka, Duva, Edume, Gondani, Gondi, Gondna, Gondri, Gunda, Gundani, Gundi, Habusum ngheghi, Harores, Izera, Kirichalle, Kithea, Kithia, Laghushleshmataka, Lasoodi, Leedii, Ledo, Maded, Madehr, Mader, Madera, Maderra, Maderta, Madheedh, Mafheera raphachoo, Mared, Mareer, Marer, Mdawi, Mdelela, Mkamasi, Mnya, Muthea, Muthee, Muthei-munini, Narrow-leaved sepistan, Naruvili, Ndea, Ol-dorko, Ol-durgo, Ol-olfot, Sellai, Shengolochi, Silapani, Thanat, Thanut, Turu

References (65)

• 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 (As Cordia rothii)
• Addis, G., Asfaw, Z & Woldu, Z., 2013, Ethnobotany of Wild and Semi-wild Edible Plants of Konso Ethnic Community, South Ethiopia. Ethnobotany Research and Applications. 11:121-141
• Addis, G., et al, 2013, The Role of Wild and Semi-wild Edible Plants in Household Food Sovereignty in Hamer and Konso Communities, South Ethiopia. Ethnobotany Research & Applications. 11:251-271
• Alfarhan, A. H., 2005, Flora of Jizan Region. AR 17-7. King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). p 331
• Allen, D. J., 2007, Wildflowers and Common Trees of East Africa. Camerapix Publishers p 70

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