General Information :

• Scarlet cordia is a small shapely tree which grows up to be 25 feet tall.
• Flowers are orange, with a narrowly crinkly tube, flaring open into a flat-faced flower.
• dark green leaves are rough and hairy, feeling much like sandpaper.
• Fruit is a white fleshy ovoid drupe, contains 2 - 4 seeds.

Distribution :

• Scarlet Cordia is native to the northern coast of South America.

Habitat : Can be found in sandy or rocky coastal thickets.

Soil : Moist Soils, Well-Drained Soils. Dry districts on sandy soils

Altitude :Up to 185 metres

Rainfall :500 - 1500 mm

Temperature : Average Tempperature required.

Terrain : Hills/Plains

Tree Characteristics :

• Tolerates drought, but not frost.
• It is not particularly susceptible to pests and diseases.

Habit : Evergreen or deciduous depending on the climate.

Natural Regeneration :

• Naturally regenerated by seeds.

Artificial Regeneration :

• Artificial reproduction is common by Nursery raised seedlings.

Seed collection and Storage :

• Flowering and fruiting: March-May.
• Pods are then dried in the sun and broken to extract the seeds and  stored in gunny bags.

Seed Treatment :

Hot water treatment in 24 hours.

Nursery Technique :

• Seeds can be sown in semi-shade, either in nursery beds or in individual containers. When fresh seed is used, a germination rate in excess of 80% usually occurs within 8 - 15 days.
• Seedlings should be placed in individual containers by the time they are 6 - 10cm tall, and are ready to plant out when 7 months old.

Plantation technique :

• Dig pits of 30 cm3.
• Fill up the pits with top soil mixed with 10 Kg of FYM and 1 Kg of Neem cake per pit.
• The seedlings are generally planted in pits having the size of 30x30x30 cm. The most common spacing adopted for plantation is 5m x 5m. On road sides, deeper pits of the size of 45 x 45 x 45 cm are preferred.

Care & Disease Control :

• In early stages weeding is necessary. In second year, soil working is important.

Major uses :

• Fruit is used in the treatment of fevers.
• leaves that are used like sandpaper for polishing surfaces.
• The bark brown heartwood is fine-textured, hard and heavy. It is used locally for carpentry.