The flowering plant, officially known as Cordia sebestena, produces edible fruit
The colourful Cordia sebestena is a flowering plant that’s native to the American tropics. Its other names include siricote, kopté, scarlet cordia and Geiger tree, the latter after John H Geiger, who was a 19th-century sea captain and wrecker from Florida.
Often used as an ornamental plant in gardens because of its vibrant flowers, the Cordia has dark green, oval-shaped leaves and produces edible, oval-shaped fruit, though they’re not particularly flavourful. As the Cordia can tolerate drought – though not frost – it makes a good addition to UAE gardens.
Best propagated from seed, if staked when young and pruned regularly, the Cordia will form a neat tree, reaching between three to five metres tall. All parts of the plant can be used in alternative medicines, including syrup from the bark, and flowers or fruit, for coughs and bronchial ailments.
