Clammy Cherry Fruit Plant (Cordia dichotoma)

Common Name: Glue berry, Clammy Cherry, Gum Berry

Botanical Name: Cordia dichotoma

General Information:

Native to East Asia, including China, Japan, the Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, through Indo-China, Malaysia to Australia.

Small deciduous flowering tree with a short bole and spreading crown. Belongs to the borage family, Boraginaceae.

Typically grows 3 - 4 meters tall; some specimens can reach a height of 20 meters or more.

The edible fruit is gathered from the wild for local use and is often cultivated for its fruits within its natural distribution.

The fruit is a yellow or pinkish-yellow shining globose or ovoid drupe, about 15mm in diameter, seated in an enlarged calyx.

Normally eaten raw or cooked; turns black on ripening with viscid pulp, having a juicy sweet flavor.

Medicinal Uses:

The bark, leaves, and fruit have medicinal properties. Rich source of mucilage and is valued for diuretic and demulcent properties.

Used in the treatment of stomach aches, coughs, and chest complaints.

Traditional uses include anthelmintic, purgative, diuretic, expectorant, antipyretic, hepatoprotective, and analgesic actions.

Used in some countries for various purposes, including boils, stomach ache, headache, mouth ulcers, colicky pains, indigestion, to strengthen teeth, for depression, to reduce fever, and as a sexual enhancer

Cultivation Information:

Bloom Time/Fruiting: 1 to 2 Years

Maintenance Required: Moderate