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Cordia alliodora is a species of flowering tree in the borage family, Boraginaceae, that is native to the American tropics.[2] It is commonly known as Spanish elm, Ecuador laurel,[3] cypre[2] or salmwood.[2] It can reach 35 m in height.
| Cordia alliodora | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sapling | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Boraginales |
| Family: | Boraginaceae |
| Genus: | Cordia |
| Species: | C. alliodora |
| Binomial name | |
| Cordia alliodora | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
The species was first described in 1799 by Hipólito Ruiz López and José Antonio Pavón Jiménez, as Cerdana alliodora. In 1841, it was transferred to the genus Cordia by Lorenz Oken. (Cerdana is treated as a synonym of Cordia.)[1]
Among the synonyms of Cordia alliodora is Solanum mucronatum.[1] Solanum is placed in a different family from Cordia (Solanaceae rather than Boraginaceae).[4] Solanum mucronatum was described by Otto Eugen Schulz in 1909. In his description, Schulz expressed doubt that Solanum was the right genus.[5]
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Cordia alliodora is one of several Cordia trees called bocote in Spanish and its wood, which has very little figure, is usually called freijo or jennywood along with that of Cordia goeldiana. The wood is used for boat decking, furniture, cabinetry, guitar/bass building by luthiers, and sometimes substitutes for mahogany or teak.
Outside of its indigenous range, Cordia alliodora has been identified as a problematic invasive species.[6] For example, a timber-focused planting program of the species in Vanuatu during the mid-1970s has over time proved disruptive to native ecosystems and communities. The species has been described as a severe environmental nuisance, as it has overtaken natural forests by multiplying at a faster rate than being harvested, and has become susceptible to outbreaks of a form of root rot known as Phellinus noxius.[7]
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