Cordia sebestena commonly called Spanish Cordia or Geranium tree originated from the northern coast of South America and the Caribbean, and comes from the Boraginaceae family.
Cordia is a small shapely tropical tree which grows to a height of approximately 25 feet in an upright pyramidal form. Cordia produces colourful orange/red flowers which grow in clusters
with as many as 12-15 blossoms per cluster, almost looking like Geranium flowers, hence the common name. The flowers mature first towards the centre of each cluster. Each flower is about 1 inch in diameter and the petals are like paper and frilly at the edges. The leaves are large, oval and rough with a texture like sandpaper.
A specimen of the Cordia can be seen on Brickdam outside the Hydromet Office, and another one is