Confusion- Cordia myxa L. and Cordia dichotoma G.Forst.

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J.M. Garg

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Jul 20, 2020, 2:02:12 AM7/20/20
to efloraofindia, M Swamy, GurcharanSingh, Aarti S. Khale
Dear members,
There has been a confusion between these species. We have included all our observations under Cordia dichotoma.
Let us explore whether they are the same or different. If different, what are the differences?
POWO and Catalogue of Life consider them to be different., although at some point Catalogue of Life considered them to be the same as per details at GBIF (which relies on Catalogue of Life).
I could not find the difference between the two except at Flora of Pakistan. Here are the keys:
2 (1)Calyx not ribbed, glabrous 2 Cordia myxa
+Calyx ribbed, minutely pubescent to tomentose (3) for other species including Cordia dichotoma
Let us examine the detailed descriptions:

Cordia myxa L.:
A deciduous tree 3-5 m tall. Young shoots and branches with a rusty pubescence, glabrate at length. Leaves 6-12.5 x 43-8.2 cm, suborbicular. elliptic-ovate to oblong-ovate, 3-nerved, acute or obtuse, subentire to sinuate-crenate or dentate, glabrous to dense tomentose on under surface, base cuneate to rounded. Petiole 2.5-4.3 cm long. Flowers not seen. Drupe 20 mm long, ovoid, apiculate, brownish-yellow, base partly surrounded by the enlarged, ± broadly cupular calyx.
Fl. Per.: March-April.
Distribution: Pakistan, India Sri-Lanka.
Cultivated and sometimes found as an escape. The pulpy drupe is edible.

Habit: Tree 6–12 m. tall, sometimes rather twisted, with young stems hairy but soon glabrous, older with circular petiolar scars.
Leaves: Leaves broadly ovate to subcircular, or sometimes obovate, 3–18 cm. long, 3–20 cm. wide, rounded to cordate or cuneate at the base, rounded to shortly obtusely acuminate at the apex, entire or repand-dentate, subcoriaceous, glabrous above, glabrous to ± densely pubescent beneath or even velvety; petiole 0.6–3.5 cm. long, glabrous or sparsely hairy.
Inflorescences: Cymes in terminal lax panicles, often on short lateral branches, 3–8.5 cm. long, 2–7 cm. wide, axes glabrous to sparsely pubescent; pedicels 1–2 mm. long, articulate at the apex.
Flowers: Female:calyx tubular-campanulate, 6–8.5 mm. long, irregularly 3–4-toothed, glabrous outside save for tips of lobes, densely pubescent inside; corolla-tube 4.5–6.5 mm. long; lobes 4–6, elliptic to obovate, 5–7 mm. long, 2.5–3.5 mm. wide, reflexed and rolled up; stamens with filaments 1.5–2.5 mm. long, ± pubescent; anthers sterile; ovary ellipsoid or obovoid, 2.5–3.5 mm. long, 2–2.7 mm. wide; style exserted, 8–9 mm. long, deeply divided into 4 stigmatic branches 4–5 mm. long, flattened and subfoliaceous with irregular or erose-denticulate margins. Male:calyx campanulate, 4.5–5.5 mm. long, 3-lobed, glabrous outside, pubescent to tomentose at apex inside; corolla white; tube 3.5–4.5 mm. long; lobes 5, elliptic, 5 mm. long, 2 mm. wide, reflexed; stamens exserted, the filaments 1.5–3.5 mm. long, hairy at the base; ovary rudimentary and style absent.
Fruits: Fruit yellow, apricot or blackish, ovoid, (1.2–)2–3.5 cm. long, apiculate, held in the accrescent campanulate calyx (0.7–1 cm. long, 1.2–1.5(–2) cm. wide), which is ± obscurely lobed or subtruncate; pulp mucilaginous and sweet; endocarp broadly ellipsoid or ± globose, ± 1.2 cm. long, 1 cm. wide, deeply rugose, 4-locular but only 1 seed developing.
Habitat: Naturalised in coastal and other bushland and cultivated; 0–1050 m.
Distribution: native of tropical Asia (India, etc.), cultivated and often naturalised in tropical Africa, Senegal to Cameroon, also in N. Africa (Algeria, Libya, Egypt)                                          


Cordia dichotoma Forster. f.:
A polygamo-dioecious tree up to 15 m tall. Branchlets pubescent. Leaves 5-8 x 1.5-3.0 cm, elliptic-ovate to obovate, pubescent, especially on the under-surface, margin sometimes undulate, base cuneate to oblique or rounded. Petiole up to 3.0 cm long. Flowers in dichotomous cymes, ebracteate. Male flowers: Calyx c. 2.5 mm long, shallowly 5-lobed, hairy to the inside. Corolla campanulate, c. 6 mm long, tube about equalling the limb, dense hairy within. Lobes oblanceolate or broadly so, recurved. Filaments c. 4.5 mm, lower half hairy and adnate to tube; anthers 2.5-3 mm long; bisexual flowers: similar but larger than male flowers. Calyx 5-6 mm long, campanulate, accrescent and up to 10 mm in fruit. Filaments c. 2 mm long. Style branched. Drupe up to 15 mm broad, yellowish-red.
Fl. Per.: March-April.
Distribution: Pakistan, Kashmir, India, S. China, Taiwan, Indo-China, New Caledonia & N.E. Australia.

Trees 3-4(-20) m tall. Petiole 2-5 cm; leaf blade ovate to broadly ovate or elliptic, 6-13 × 4-9 cm, sparsely pubescent or glabrous, base rounded to broadly cuneate, margin usually subundulate to undulate dentate, rarely entire, apex obtuse to mucronate. Inflorescences terminating leafy lateral branches, dichotomously branched into corymbose cymes, widely spaced, 5-8 cm wide. Flowers dimorphic, sessile. Calyx campanulate, 5-6 mm, 5-lobed; lobes unequal, triangular. Corolla white, ca. as long as calyx; lobes shorter than tube, margin somewhat undulate. Filaments of staminate flowers ca. 3.5 mm, filaments of bisexual flowers 1-2 mm. Rudimentary pistil globose. Style united portion 1-1.5 mm, first branches ca. 1 mm, second branches 2-3 mm; stigma spatulate. Drupes yellow or reddish, subglobose, 1-1.5 cm in diam., with sticky mesocarp, surrounded by persistent calyx. Fl. Feb-Apr, fr. Jun-Aug.
Open woods on slopes, mountain streamsides. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Taiwan, SE Xizang, Yunnan [Cambodia, N India, Indonesia, Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Kashmir, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam; NE Australia, Pacific Islands]

On checking all the images, the crucial difference appears to be glabrous calyx in Cordia myxa in comparison to non-glabrous calyx in Cordia dichotoma.
The following on net seems to match with Cordia myxa (mostly fruiting images- I am not sure if the calyx become glabrous by that time, except for one small flowering image, in which it is difficult to observe glabrous nature of the calyx correctly)

Following of our posts may be of Cordia myxa (mostly fruiting images- I am not sure if the calyx become glabrous by that time):

However, I strongly feel this minor difference does not warrant a separate species status. And it is better to keep them together under Cordia dichotoma

Any feedback will be highly appreciated.
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With regards,
J.M.Garg

J.M. Garg

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Jul 20, 2020, 2:42:23 AM7/20/20
to efloraofindia, Lalithamba Avadhanam, GurcharanSingh
Thanks a lot, Lalithamba ji.

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Lalithamba Avadhanam <alali...@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 20 Jul 2020 at 11:45
Subject: Re: [itpmods:14262] Confusion- Cordia myxa L. and Cordia dichotoma G.Forst.
To: <itp...@googlegroups.com>


yes Garg ji your observation is very correct, hence both are treated same only in some outdated floras it is given separately 

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A.Lalithamba

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With regards,
J.M.Garg
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