Cordia ecalyculata
Cordia ecalyculata, also called Cordia salicifolia and chá de bugre, is a species of evergreen flowering tree in the family Cordiaceae, that occurs mainly in Brazil and is used as a medicinal plant. Its red fruit, which resembles a coffee bean and contains caffeine, is roasted and brewed as a coffee substitute.
Description
Cordia ecalyculata is a large shrub or small tree usually measuring in height, but on occasion reaching. They have somewhat gray bark that is fairly smooth, but with small cracks both along and across the length of the trunk. The leaves are evergreen and hairless. They may be elliptic-lanceolate or lanceolate in shape and measure long by long.The tree has inflorescences made up of loosely packed cymes of flowers. The flowers are hairless and white. They have a tube about 4–5 millimeters long that flairs outward into five rounded. Each flower has five stamens. The fruit is egg shaped to mostly round, red in color, and has one seed. It flowers in summer and produces fruit in the fall.
Birds that feed on the fruits of Cordia ecalyculata include guans, trogons, pigeons, tanagers, and aracaris.
Taxonomy
Cordia ecalyculata was scientifically described in 1829 by José Mariano de Conceição Vellozo. He also described a second species in the same year, Cordia digynia, which is regarded as a heterotypic synonym. Similarly Cordia salicifolia described by Adelbert von Chamisso, also described in 1829, is also regarded as a synonym but not identical to Cordia ecalyculata.Names
In Argentina this species is known by the common names Colita and gomita. In Brazil it is known as café-de-bugre, cha-de-bugre, chá-de-frade, claraiba, cutiera, louro-mole, and louro-salgueiro. In English it is known as ecalyculate cordia.Cordia ecalyculata should not be confused with two other plants that have been called chá de bugre, Hedyosmum brasiliense and Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus.