Common Name: Clammy Cherry

General Information

Cordia dichotoma is a small deciduous tree with a short bole and spreading crown[, ]. Usually a small tree growing 3 - 4 metres tall, though some specimens can reach a height of 20 metres or more[, ]. In larger specimens, such as found in Papua New Guinea, the bole can be 25 - 50cm in diameter and unbranched for up to 10 metres[].
Gathered from the wild for its many medicinal uses, the tree is also often cultivated for its fruits throughout the range of its natural distribution[, ].
Cordia dichotoma has a very wide distribution, large population, is not currently experiencing any major threats and no significant future threats have been identified. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2019)[].

Known Hazards

The fruits are used to stupefy fish[].

Botanical References

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Range

E. Asia - China, Japan, Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, through Indo-China, Malaysia to Australia.

Habitat

Open woods on slopes, mountain streamsides[]. Found in a variety of forests ranging from the dry deciduous to moist deciduous and tidal forests as well as in moist monsoon forest[]. Grows singly in moist shady ravines and valleys[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	4.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A tree of tropical and subtropical regions, found at elevations from sea level to 1,500 metres[]. It grows in areas where the mean annual rainfall is in the range 250 - 3,000 mm[]. In areas with annual rainfall less than 500 mm, it thrives along streams or depressions where moisture is available[].
Thrives on a range of soils, but prefers deep moist sandy loams[, ]. When the tree reaches pole stage it prefers complete overhead light, but seedlings and saplings can withstand a fair amount of shade[].
The tree has escaped from cultivation in some areas and concerns have been raised, especially in Hawaii, that it could become invasive[].
Young seedlings are frost tender and also suffer from exposure to hot sun. They are susceptible to browsing and fire, but recover appreciably from these injuries[].
The tree coppices and pollards well[]
On good sites the trees reach a height of 4 metres in 4 years and a diameter of over 20 cm in 8 - 9 years[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[, ]. Mucilaginous[]. A sweet flavour[]. The immature fruits are pickled and are also used as a vegetable[, ].
The fruit is a yellow or pinkish-yellow shining globose or ovoid drupe about 15mm in diameter, seated in a saucer-like enlarged calyx[, ]. It turns black on ripening and the pulp gets viscid[]. The hard stone is 1-4 seeded[].

Flowers[]. A famine food[].

Leaves[].

Seed[]. The smell of the nuts, when cut, is heavy and disagreeable but the taste of the kernels is like that of the filbert[]

Medicinal

Cordia dichotoma has a long and proven hstory of medicinal use dating back to the time of the ancient Egyptians. The bark, leaves and fruit all have medicinal properties, being a rich source of mucilage and valued variously for their diuretic and demulcent propertied. They are used particularly in the treatment of stomach aches, coughs and chest complaints[, , , ].

Some research has been carried out and several active compounds have been isolated from the plant.
Two compounds isolated from the seeds, alpha-amyrin and 5-dirhamnoside, have been shown to have antiinflammatory activity[, ].
The bark contains 2% tannic acid, allantoin, beta -sitosterol and 3',5-dihydroxy-4'-methoxy flavanone-7-O- alpha -L-rhamnopyranoside[, ].
The leaves contain flavonol glycosides and phenolics[]. The ethanolic leaf extract was investigated for antifertility effects on male rats in oral doses of 100 mg/kg daily for 21 days. Though none of these extracts interfered with spermatogenesis, anti-implantational and abortifacient effects were observed in females mated by the males fed with the leaf extracts[].

The sticky, mucilaginous pulp of the fruit is demulcent and laxative. Along with the closely related Cordia myxa it is a source of a well-known medicine in the Near and Middle East. Called 'sapistan', it is useful in the treatment of coughs, sore throats, chest-complaints and irritations of the urinary passages on account of its demulcent and mucilaginous properties[, , , ]. In larger doses it is used as a laxative n the treatment of bilious complaints[].
The fresh fruits are applied externally as a treatment for skin eruptions and gonorrhoea[].

The seeds are anti-inflammatory[].
The powdered seeds are applied to skin eruptions and gonorrhoea[]. They are considered a good remedy for ringworm; they are powdered, mixed with oil and applied topically[].

The bark is mildly astringent and tonic[]. A decoction of the stem bark is taken for treating dyspepsia, diarrhoea, dysentery, fever, headache, stomach-ache, and is also used as a tonic. It is also beneficial after parturition[].
Externally, the moistened bark is maturative when applied to boils, swellings and tumours. It is applied to ulcers in the mouth in the form of a gargle or as a powder. The teeth are rubbed with the bark to strengthen them[].

The juice of the leaves is considered cooling, and is applied as a poultice to treat migraine, inflammation and swellings[]. The leaves are used as a contraceptive[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is grown as a hedge[].
A quick-growing fruit tree, performing well under semi-arid conditions and suitable for planting along boundary and farm roads[].

Other Uses

The leaves are used to wrap food before cooking, and also as plates and cigar wrappers[].

An extract of the leaves is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner[].

An oil is obtained from the seed[, ].

A glue can be made from the mucilaginous fruit[].

The fruit extract has been shown to suppress larval hatching of Meloidogyne incognita[].

The wood is tough, fairly strong and seasons well, but insects soon attack it[]. It is used for house construction and agricultural implements[, ].
The tree is used as a fuel wood[].

Propagation

Seed - sow direct into containers, beds or trays[]. Germination starts in about 3 - 4 weeks and is complete in 6 weeks[]. The germination process can be sped up if the seed is first scarified by lightly abrading the seedcoat to allow easier ingress of water[]. Seedlings should be potted up as soon as the first pair of true leaves have formed[]. At lower altitudes, seedlings large enough to plant out can be obtained after 3 - 4 months in the nursery, but at higher altitudes, 9 - 12 months are needed[].
Germination is epigeous - 1 or 2 seedlings may appear from 1 stone[]. Seeds can store for at least a year in airtight containers[].
Raising plants from stumps has been carried out successfully. The stumps should be 8 - 13 mm thick at the root collar, with about 4 cm stem and 20 - 25 cm root[]. Such plants should be raised in beds for 12 - 15 months before stumping. Shading should be for only 1 week after seedlings have been pricked out, otherwise seedlings should have full light[].

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