Common Name:

General Information

Cordia somaliensis is a scrambling shrub or a bushy tree with several stems from the base; it usually grows around 1.8 - 6 metres tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Cordia somaliensis has a large extent of occurrence but there is significant decline of the species' coastal dune habitat. In Kenya this is mainly due to the development of tourist facilities whilst in Somalia, the main threat is shifting sands and erosion coupled with increasing human pressure and increasing aridity in the region. It is inferred that over the last three generations there has been a decline in population size of between 30 - 40% based on the rate of habitat loss over the species range. The threat of decline is considerably greater in Kenya then Somalia. The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2020)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Northeast Africa - central Somalia to eastern Kenya

Habitat

Sandy open areas near the high-tide mark, dunes, thickets on coral rag and other coastal bushland, also open Acacia scrub on red sandy soils; at elevations up to 150 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Vulnerable
Edibility Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	4.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The sweet-scented flowers open in the evening[].

Edible Uses

Fruit[]. Pulpy[]. The orange, ovoid-conic fruit is around 10 - 17mm long including the long-drawn-out acute beak[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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