Common Name(s): Texas Olive, Anacahuita

Synonym(s):

Family: Boraginaceae

Native To: Southern areas of New Mexico and Texas extending south through Mexico

Native Habitat: In dry, sandy soils of low and intermediate desert regions

Growth Habit: Large shrubs to small trees

Flowering: Essentially year-round here, possibly because they are watered on campus

Distinguishing Characteristics: As a tree, C. boissieri can reach about 25 feet, rarely higher, and has a characteristic thick trunk. Leaves are large, to 5 inches long, pale to medium gray-green and covered with numerous short hairs. Showy white trumpet-shaped flowers have yellow centers and 5 stamens.

Natural History and Cultivation Notes: This plant is not an olive at all (the true olive, Olea europea, also commonly cultivated on campus, is a member of the plant family Oleaceae). The common name of the Texas Olive undoubtedly come from the the shape and size of its fruit. The genus name Cordia is from Valerius Cordus (1515-1544), a German botanist, and boissieri honors the French botanist, Boissier (1810-1885).

Ethnobotany: In Mexico, the fruits are often made into a jelly used to relieve coughs and colds. The fruits are very sweet, but intoxicating when eaten in excess. Leaves are used to cure rheumatism and bronchial problems (Vines 1960). The wood is made into woodenware objects and yokes.

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