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| Category: Shrub |
| Family: Boraginaceae (Borages) |
| Origin: Mexico (North America) |
| Evergreen: Yes |
| Flower Color: White |
| Bloomtime: Spring/Summer |
| Height: 15-25 feet |
| Width: 15-25 feet |
| Exposure: Full Sun |
| Summer Dry: Yes |
| Irrigation (H2O Info): Low Water Needs |
| Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F |
| May be Poisonous (More Info): Yes |
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Cordia boissieri (Texas Wild Olive) - An evergreen large shrub or trained up as a small tree with attractive gray bark and a rounded shape to 15 to 25 feet tall by as wide. It has thick 5 inch long ovate leaves that are at first a soft lightly fuzzy texture but harden with age and are gray-green above and paler below. The flowers, in peak bloom spring into summer but often present nearly year-round, are in clusters of 2 inch wide funnel-shaped white flowers with yellow throats and petals that have a crepe paper texture. These are followed by yellow-green olive-like fruit that slightly resemble an olive. Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil with occasional to very little water. Evergreen in mild years but with light tip damage in frosts down to the mid 20s°F and wood hardy to around 18°F and root hardy even a bit lower - it is said that it can be treated more as a perennial in USDA zone 8b. For us in Santa Barbara this is an attractive small tree with very attractive flowers, foliage and bark that is drought tolerant and handles windy and coastal conditions. It is a bit too messy for a patio or near the pool but sensational elsewhere in the garden. Birds and animals eat the fruit and the flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Though the fruit are sweet, they are considered slightly toxic to humans when fresh. Indigenous people make jellies and dyes from the fruit and use the wood for firewood and light carpentry. This plant has a native range that extends from Rio Grande valley of southern Texas south to San Luis Potosi in Mexico. The name for the genus honors the 16th century German botanists Euricius Cordus and his son Valerius Cordus and the specific epithet is named for the 19th century Swiss botanist Pierre-Edmond Boissier. Other common names include Anacahuita, Mexican Olive, White Geiger and White Cordia. It is the official flower of the state of Nuevo León in Mexico. This plant is commonly seen in Arizona and Texas but older plants grace gardens in Santa Barbara and there is a beautiful specimen on the Pitzer College campus in Claremont as well. Some note this tree not suitable to coastal gardens but our garden plant has rarely been out of flower in our own gardens and the largest plant we know of is an old small tree in the garden of local Santa Barbara stone mason Ozzie DaRoss, so we think it certainly a good choice for our coastal climate.
The information that is presented on this page is based on research we have conducted about this plant in our library and from reliable online sources. We also consider observations we have made of it in the nursery's garden and in other gardens we have visited, as well how it performs in our nursery crops out in the field. We incorporate comments that we receive from others as well and welcome getting feedback from anyone who may have additional information, particularly if they know of cultural information that would aid others in growing Cordia boissieri. |
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