Back

Cordia subcordata Lam.

Family Name:	Cordiaceae
Common Name:	Sea Trumpet, Beach Cordia, Kou

Cordia subcordata, also known as Sea Trumpet, is a critically endangered tree in Singapore, found naturally in coastal forests. It produces clusters of showy, orange, trumpet-like flowers. Its timber is used widely across region, from crafting musical instruments in the Philippines and house construction in Malaysia, to wood carvings and firewood in the Cocos Islands. It was featured in a special SingPost x NParks collaborative stamp series celebrating Singapore's rarest coastal forest gems.

Full Sun

Moderate Water

Native to Singapore

Ornamental Flowers

Tree

Name

Family Name
Genus Epithet
Species Epithet
Name Authority
Name Status (botanical)
Common Names
Comments
Species Summary

Classifications and Characteristics

Plant Division	Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Dicotyledon)
Plant Growth Form	Tree (Medium (16m-30m))
Lifespan (in Singapore)	Perennial

Mode of Nutrition	Autotrophic
Maximum Height	20 m

Biogeography

Native Distribution	Eastern Africa, India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malesia (including Singapore), Pacific Islands.
Native Habitat	Terrestrial (Coastal Forest, Primary Rainforest, Secondary Rainforest)
Preferred Climate Zone	Tropical

Local Conservation Status

Native to Singapore (Critically Endangered (CR))

Description and Ethnobotany

Growth Form	It is a small, evergreen, bushy tree up to 20 m tall.
Trunk	Trunk sometimes crooked, girth size is 40 cm wide or less, bark is pale grey and furrowed.
Foliage	Light green broadly elliptic to ovate leaves, alternate arrangement, measuring about 8 - 20 cm long and 5 - 15 cm wide, petiole about 5 cm long.

Flowers	Orange trumpet-shaped flowers borne on axillary and terminal cymose inflorescence, each flower about 2.5 - 4 cm long and has 5 - 7 wrinkly and rounded lobes, peduncle about 0.5 - 2 cm long, pedicels about 2 - 10 mm.
Fruit	Fruit is a brown, round and woody nut about 1.5 - 3 cm long, contains 4 or less white seeds.
Habitat	Usually found in coastal forests, secondary forest and thickets along the sea shore.
Etymology	The genus Cordia commemorates Valerius Cordus (1514 - 1544), a German botanist and pharmacist, widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of pharmacognosy. The specific epithet subcordata, in Latin, means somewhat heart-shaped and refers to the shape of the leaves.
Ethnobotanical Uses	Timber & Products: Its timber is used widely across region, from crafting musical instruments in the Philippines and house construction in Malaysia, to wood carvings and firewood in the Cocos Islands. Agriculture - Forestry: The leaves can be used as fodder for livestock. Cut - Dried Flower: In Hawaiian culture, the flowers are used to make a garland called lei. Cultural / Religious: The wood is used to make figures and groves and they are planted along sacred places.

Landscaping Features

Desirable Plant Features	Ornamental Flowers
Landscape Uses	Parks & Gardens, Small Gardens

Fauna, Pollination and Dispersal

Fauna Pollination Dispersal Associated Fauna	Caterpillar Moth Food Plant

Plant Care and Propagation

Light Preference	Full Sun
Water Preference	Moderate Water
Plant Growth Rate	Moderate

Rootzone Tolerance	Moist Soils, Well-Drained Soils
Propagation Method	Seed

Foliar

Foliage Retention	Evergreen
Mature Foliage Colour(s)	Green
Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio	3.0 (Tree - Intermediate Canopy)

Floral (Angiosperm)

Flower Colour(s)	Yellow / Golden

Fruit, Seed and Spore

Mature Fruit Colour(s)	Brown

Image Repository

Images

Others

Master ID	1533
Species ID	2826
Flora Disclaimer	The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.