Cordia megalantha

Names and Synonyms

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse range of locations across North and Central America. In Mexico, its presence is noted throughout the Gulf region and the Southwest. Furthermore, it can be found extending into the Southeast portion of Mexico. Moving into Central America, the species is documented within the borders of Guatemala. Finally, its geographical reach continues southward into Costa Rica.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Cordia megalantha is characterized by its distribution across a diverse altitudinal gradient, typically thriving in environments ranging from sea level up to a maximum elevation of 1000 m AMSL. This wide elevational range suggests a high degree of adaptability to various tropical or subtropical forest strata, allowing it to colonize habitats from lowland coastal regions to mid-elevation montane zones. Its presence within this 0 to 1000 m AMSL bracket indicates that it can tolerate a variety of moisture regimes and temperature fluctuations common to these transitional landscapes, often occupying niches within secondary forests or disturbed woodland ecosystems where light availability and soil composition support its growth patterns.

Elevational range max:

1000 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Life history

The life history of Cordia megalantha is characterized by its status as a perennial organism, meaning it maintains its vegetative structures and continues to grow and reproduce over many years rather than completing its cycle in a single season. As a long-lived woody species, its developmental trajectory involves an initial establishment phase where it secures a foothold in its ecosystem, followed by a prolonged period of maturation and sustained reproductive output. This perennial nature allows the plant to endure fluctuating environmental conditions and invest significant energy into structural longevity and repeated flowering cycles, contributing to its stable presence within its natural habitat.

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Cordia megalantha is characterized by its robust growth form as a woody tree, capable of reaching a significant plant height with a mean of approximately 30 m. As a terrestrial organism, it does not exhibit aquatic, semiaquatic, or epiphytic lifestyles, maintaining an independent existence without relying on other plants as a parasite or through hemi-epiphytic growth. Structurally, the plant is self-supporting rather than acting as a climber, liana, or vine, and its development is defined by a consistent woody constitution.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

tree

Parasite :

independent

Plant height mean:

30 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Cordia megalantha is characterized by its metabolic and nutritional processes, specifically regarding carbon assimilation and nutrient acquisition. The plant utilizes a C3 photosynthetic pathway, meaning it fixes carbon dioxide through the Calvin cycle using the enzyme RuBisCO, which is typical for most woody tropical species. In terms of its symbiotic relationships and nutrient cycling, Cordia megalantha is not a nitrogen fixer, as it lacks the specialized physiological mechanisms or symbiotic associations with nitrogen-fixing bacteria required to convert atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms.

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Cordia megalantha is characterized by a biotic pollination syndrome, primarily driven by insects with a specific emphasis on bees as key pollinators. Following successful fertilization, the plant produces seeds that exhibit significant morphological variability, with seed lengths ranging from a minimum of 6 mm to a maximum of 30 mm. The seed mass is highly consistent in this species, maintaining a mean, minimum, and maximum value of 0.1492 g. Once mature, the dispersal of these seeds is achieved through an anemochorous syndrome, utilizing wind as the primary mechanism for movement and colonization.

Dispersal syndrome :

anemochorous

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

bee

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Seed length max:

30 mm

Seed length min:

6 mm

Seed mass mean:

0.1492 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Cordia megalantha has 5 reported plant parts identified across 5 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include flower, fruit, leaf, root, stem.

Flower

1. Revista de biologia tropical

Fruit

1. Revista de biologia tropical

Leaf

1. Revista de biologia tropical

Root

1. Revista de biologia tropical

Stem

1. Revista de biologia tropical