Tree Species (Scientific Name)
Cordia alliodora
Food
Livestock Forage
Firewood
Lumber
Medicinal
Ornamental
Product
English Common Name
Spanish elm
Costa Rican Common Name
Laurel
Tree Family
Boraginaceae
Average Leaf Size (cm)
15cm
Length
×
6cm
Width
Tree Height
Large (> 35m)
Elevational Range (m)
1–1800m
0 3000
Distribution
Native
Exotic
Native to Costa Rica

Native to

Region
Americas
Latin America
Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Leeward Islands, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Southwest Caribbean, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Windward Islands
Costa Rica
Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas, San José

Exotic in

Borneo, Galapagos, Hawaii, Mauricio, Seychelles, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu

Coffee Agroforestry Information

Coffee System
Arabica
Coffee Impact
Beneficial to coffee
Cultivation
Planted
Natural
Regeneration
Regenerates Naturally
Tree Management
Planted by seeds, they are dispersed by the wind and planted in the nursery by cuttings. It is a fast-growing tree in suitable sites and with good management, an annual height increase of 2 meters is possible. It has a medium incidence of pests. They self-prune easily.
Climate Change Adaptability
high

Tree Benefits and Uses

Farmer Uses
  • Food
  • Livestock Forage
  • Firewood
  • Lumber
  • Medicinal
  • Ornamental
  • Product

Food / Product: Its fruits are edible; it is used to produce ethanol.

Animal fodder: Used to feed farm animals.

Medicinal: The infusion of the leaves is used as a tonic and stimulant in cases of colds and lung diseases. The pulverized seed is used to make an ointment to treat skin diseases and as a healing agent.

Firewood: Used as fuel.

Wood: Used to make sculptures, turned articles and musical instruments, in the construction of houses (for beams or floors), tool handles, furniture, carpentry, floors, fence posts.

Farm Services
  • Coffee Shade
  • Soil Improvement
  • Reforestation
  • Carbon Capture

Shade coffee: Commonly grown in association with many agricultural crops and in numerous agroforestry systems, as a shade tree in coffee and cocoa plantations.

Soil improvement: Conservation and recovery of soils.

Reforestation: Because it is very wind resistant, easily colonizes bare soils and grows quickly, it can be used to start the process of restoring native forests.

Biodiversity Benefits
Yes

Attracts biological controllers, Attracts seed dispersers, Attracts pollinators

Its flowers are visited by resident and migratory birds that can be seen searching for insects in its high crowns. Some species, such as the Squirrel Cuckoo, use material from these trees to build their nests.

Citations

Citations

Plants of the World Online (POWO). (2024). Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (2024). IUCN Red List. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.iucnredlist.org

Román, F., De Liones, R., Sautu, A., Deago, J., & Hall, J. S. (2012). Guía para la propagación de 120 especies de árboles nativos de Panamá y el neotrópico. Retrieved from https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/20967/stri_GUIA_PROPAGACION.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Fern, Ken (2024). Tropical Plants Database. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://tropical.theferns.info

Universidad EIA. (2024). Catálogo virtual de Flora del Valle de Aburrá. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://catalogofloravalleaburra.eia.edu.co

Cárdenas, L. M. (2016). Aspectos ecológicos y silviculturales para el manejo de especies forestales: Revisión de información disponible para Colombia. Fundación Natura. Bogotá, D.C., Colombia World Flora Online. (2024). World Flora Online. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.worldfloraonline.org

de Sousa K, van Zonneveld M, Imbach P, Casanoves F, Kindt R, Ordoñez JC 2017, Atlas de aptitud de especies agroforestales claves bajo climas futuros en América Central. ICRAF Artículo Ocasional No. 26. Turrialba-Costa Rica. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). (2024). GBIF. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.gbif.org/es