Looking at Plants

Cordia sebestena

COMMON NAMES

Geiger Tree, Orange Geiger Tree

Cordia (KOR-dee-uh) – named in honor of Euricius Cordus (1486-1535) and his son Valerius Cordus (1515-1544), German botanists and pharmacists

sebestena (seb-ess-TAY-nuh) – named for a similar East Indian tree in Cordia family with similar fruit

GROUP 

Dicot

FAMILY 

Boraginaceae

ORIGIN

Caribbean, South America

DESCRIPTION

Geiger Tree is an evergreen tree that averages 20 to 25 feet in height with a comparable spread. It has a dense, rounded, symmetrical crown (more pyramidal when young) with a moderate growth rate. Often seen as multi-trunked, though it can be trained with a single leader.

Leaves are evergreen (though it will drop leaves with a light frost or in droughts), simple with serrate to undulate margins, about 6 to 8 inches long, elliptical to ovate in shape, alternate in arrangement, and dark green. The pinnate vein pattern gives a textured appearance.

The orange flowers are about 2 inches across, single, funnel-shaped, crepe-like or crinkled in texture, and are borne in terminal clusters. It blooms periodically throughout the year with a heavier bloom in the early spring to early fall.

Fruit are green aging to cream in color, pear-shaped, fragrant, and 1 to 2 inches in length. They contain 1 to 4 seeds with sticky, fleshy pulp.

HARDINESS

It is hardy in USDA Zones 10b to 12, down to about 32 degrees F. It is not frost-tolerant.

LIGHT

Full sun for best flowering. It will tolerate light shade.

SALT

Good Salt Spray Tolerance – it will grow near the shore but will benefit from a little protection such as behind the first row of plantings or behind the first dunes.

SOIL

It prefers a rich soil, but it will grow on a wide variety of well-drained soils in a wide pH range of 6.0 to 8.0. It does not like overly wet soil. It will grow in higher alkaline limestone soils.

WATERING

It has good drought tolerance once established, but some water is needed for survival in severe dry spells. As with most plants, though, ample irrigation in droughts keeps it healthier and looking better.

PROPAGATION

Seed – remove flesh and dry, short shelf life of 3 to 4 months, average germination time is 1 to 2 months with relatively low germination percentage; cuttings; air layering

PRUNING

A little early pruning for good structure should be done by removing vertically oriented branches that form too narrow a crotch. Pinching young trees regularly will help to promote a thicker crown.

FERTILIZING

It has no special fertilizer needs. Unless a soil test suggests otherwise, a slow-release balanced analysis fertilizer applied per the product label will work for young trees. Little fertilization is required for mature trees.

PESTS

False Spider Mite, Fig Wax Scale, Geiger Beetle

DISEASES

Rust

DEER

Uncertain

There are very few totally “deer-proof” plants. There are also, relatively speaking, few plants that are considered a preferred food supply of deer. Most plants fall in the big gap between. One of the biggest variables is the available preferred food supply in a given area. If their preferred food is scarce, they will munch on most anything (if they could even reach anything on a mature tree).

OTHER

Fruit and leaves can be a little messy.

USES

Shade tree, flowering tree, specimen tree

TOXICITY

A search of California Poison Control, ASPCA, Texas A&M University, Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System, University of Wisconsin, Poisonous Houseplants and Ornamentals - Merck Vet Manual, Purdue University - Guide to Toxic Plants in Forages, Poisonous Plants of the Southeastern United States - Alabama Cooperative Extension, Florida Poison Control, University of California, North Carolina State University, and The Cat Fanciers Association did not show this plant on any of their lists.