Cordia bicolor DC.
Occasional evergreen or briefly deciduous tree (5-8 m) found
in areas offering abundant sunlight and characterized by secondary
vegetation. Along with Balsa, Juco, and Cecropia, this
species is a principle participant in the forest's struggle to
reclaim disturbed land.
Description: A fast-growing,
short-lived "pioneer" species, Cordia has a cylindrical
trunk (10 cm) that often becomes inclined as it grows rapidly
toward the brightest source of light available. The tree is clad
in smooth and silvery-gray bark. 
Possessing only a few, long,
drooping branches, the crown of this species is made moderately
dense by the large size of its foliage. Leaves are simple,
alternate, and arranged in two tiers along the twigs. Though generally
large, they are quite variable in shape and size. On average,
the leaves are elliptical in form and measure 20 cm (16-23 cm)
long by 7 cm (6-9 cm) wide. All leaf surfaces, twigs, and petioles
(1 cm) are covered with short, stiff hairs that give them a rough,
sandpapery texture. Annually, leaves slowly senesce and are shed
during the course of the dry season (December-April). By late
April, when trees are completely bare, a new growth spurt begins
and the Cordia crowns are renewed by May. The white flowers
(8 mm long by 5 mm in diameter) appear soon thereafter in large
terminal panicles. They each consist of a five pointed, green
calyx; five, backwardly curving white petals; five long, forward-pointing
stamens; and a central, three-part pistil. The timing of flowering
periods is variable from year to year and between individuals,
but trees are fertile sometime in May, June, and/or July. Glossy,
green, globular fruits (1.5 cm), set in the same - now
wider - calyxes, mature as they pale to dull yellow or white and
become translucent. In them, a solitary seed is surrounded by
a thick layer of slippery, jelly-like pulp. Harvests are annual
and occur in September and October.
Similar Species: The large size
of Cordia bicolor foliage, coupled with its nature as a
small, secondary species found in areas of rapid regeneration,
aid in its identification.
Natural History: Cordia
flowers are pollinated by wasps and butterflies, seen visiting
them in great numbers during periods of peak fertility. Bats and
white-faced monkeys play a role in dispersing Cordia fruit
(Croat, 1978). Cordia
is one of this ecosystem's most important secondary species, able
to support the harsh, adverse conditions created when the primary
forest tree-cover is damaged or destroyed. Its ability to grow,
even thrive, under such extreme circumstances is important to
the process of forest succession. Cordia's rapid growth
quickly establishes an anchoring root system as well as a sheltering
crown that help to protect exposed soils and provide the more
consistent regimes of humidity and temperature that are required
by most other plant species. The early establishment of a pioneer
plant community after environmental damage has taken place is
one of the critical first steps nature implements in its effort
to jump-start the regeneration of the primary forest.
Uses: Cordia bicolor could
be used in large-scale reforestation efforts. The tree, planted
along with other pioneer species, produces a non-herbaceous ground
cover that protects and enriches the soil with organic matter
and that provides shade, increases humidity, and moderates temperatures.
Distribution: This Cordia
may be found in very humid forests wherever sunlight reaches the
ground in abundance. Such areas include secondary forests as well
as road, trail, and streamsides. Cordia is native to the
wet or humid parts of both of Costa Rica's lowland slopes, being
absent only in drier Guanacaste. It ranges from Mexico and the
Antilles to northern South America (Zamora,
1989).
Possessing only a few, long,
drooping branches, the crown of this species is made moderately
dense by the large size of its foliage. Leaves are simple,
alternate, and arranged in two tiers along the twigs. Though generally
large, they are quite variable in shape and size. On average,
the leaves are elliptical in form and measure 20 cm (16-23 cm)
long by 7 cm (6-9 cm) wide. All leaf surfaces, twigs, and petioles
(1 cm) are covered with short, stiff hairs that give them a rough,
sandpapery texture. Annually, leaves slowly senesce and are shed
during the course of the dry season (December-April). By late
April, when trees are completely bare, a new growth spurt begins
and the Cordia crowns are renewed by May. The white flowers
(8 mm long by 5 mm in diameter) appear soon thereafter in large
terminal panicles. They each consist of a five pointed, green
calyx; five, backwardly curving white petals; five long, forward-pointing
stamens; and a central, three-part pistil. The timing of flowering
periods is variable from year to year and between individuals,
but trees are fertile sometime in May, June, and/or July. Glossy,
green, globular fruits (1.5 cm), set in the same - now
wider - calyxes, mature as they pale to dull yellow or white and
become translucent. In them, a solitary seed is surrounded by
a thick layer of slippery, jelly-like pulp. Harvests are annual
and occur in September and October.