Spanish elm
Cordia alliodora · Boraginaceae
Spanish elm (Cordia alliodora) is a perennial tree in the Boraginaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 12 and warmer, down to about 50°F.
At a glance
| Type | tree USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 70 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Water need | high USDA |
| Growth rate | rapid USDA |
| Soil pH | 4.5–7.5 USDA |
| Bloom | March–April USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 12 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | canopy Derived |
| Nursery availability | No Known Source USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. USDA rates it as having needs consistently moist ground. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 4.5 to 7.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 12.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 70 ft, making it a large tree that will dominate its site. It grows quickly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of March through April. Flowers are white.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, medium in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. Its active growth period is spring, summer, fall. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 30 to 200 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 365 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 28 inches. Fertility requirement: low — no feeding needed on ordinary garden soil.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed, bare root and container stock. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a slow rate. It does not spread vegetatively, so it will stay where you put it.
Resilience and wildlife
Its fire tolerance is rated medium, and it can resprout after damage. Its growth form is recorded as single stem.
Role in a guild
Canopy. In a layered planting this is the tallest layer of a planting — it sets the light budget everything beneath it lives on. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Cordia
- smooth manjack Cordia laevigata
- kou Cordia subcordata
Similar role and hardiness
- tiger's claw Erythrina variegata
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol COAL, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, Edible, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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