Cordia boissieri     
Texas olive   
Boraginaceae Family     

Form: large shrub; can be trained to single stem tree

Cordia boissieri in bloom

Seasonality: evergreen; may be deciduous in colder climates
Size: 10-25ft with equal spread
Leaves: single, obovate, to 5in long, gray-green on top lighter underneath; thick
Flowers: on branch terminals, single, 2.5in across, attractive white flower with yellow center; bloom normally in late spring or early summer but in Tucson sporadically all year
Fruit: olive-sized fleshy round fruit with large single seed, yellow-green; not edible
Stems/Trunks: not significant
Range/Origin: Texas Rio Grande area, northern Mexico
Hardiness: tip die-back seen in mid twenties

LANDSCAPE VALUE:

• large shrub
• specimen when in bloom
• patio tree
• medians and roadsides

CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Exposure: full sun, reflected heat
• Water: drought tolerant, 1-2 times per month when established; more frequently when young or to increase growth rate
• Soil: adaptable, good drainage
• Propagation: seed or cuttings
• Maintenance: high; flower and fruit drop; training if desired

leaf detail note lighter underside

flower cluster

NOTES:

fruit is edible by birds

return to common name index				return to Botanical name index
	browse by common name				browse by botanical name

This page was first created September 22, 2001 and last modified July 4, 2004.

---

Web page design and photographs by Toni Moore, Master Gardener
email to: tmoore1@flash.net

© 2004 Arizona Board of Regents. All contents copyrighted. All rights reserved.