Cojoba graciliflora (Guadeloupe blackbead)

Guadeloupe blackbead is native to central and southern Mexico and Central America.

Herbarium specimen of Cojoba graciliflora

Overview: A tree growing up to 15 m tall, with a trunk up to 15 cm in diameter. Young twigs have bark with distinct lenticels (holes allowing gas exchange) and chocolate-brown hairs covering the new (resting) buds.

Leaves: Dark green, glossy, bipinnate (divided into pinnae that are themselves divided again into leaflets), usually with 2−5 pairs of pinnae, with 7−18 pairs of recurved leaflets at the tip.

Flowers: Borne in pompom-like clusters of 44–54 flowers on a single stalk (peduncle) 30–76 mm long. Individual flowers are whitish and bear both male and female parts. Stamens (male organs) are fused into a tube for most of their length, with delicate, cream-coloured anthers (pollen-bearing parts) up to 15 mm long and less than a millimetre in diameter. Stigmas (female parts) are cream-coloured.

Fruits & seeds: The striking, red pods are shaped like a string of beads, being narrowly constricted between the seeds. The seeds can germinate within the fruit whilst it is still hanging on the tree. This is known as viviparous germination. The seeds have a thin seed coat and cannot tolerate desiccation.

Guadeloupe blackbead is cultivated as an ornamental for its attractive clusters of flowers and striking, red fruits. It is also used for medicinal purposes in Belize, where the bark is used in a preparation to treat skin sores.

Specimens of Cojoba graciliflora at Kew are given a thick mulch of manure every two years and propagated from semi-ripe stem cuttings in late spring. In the summer, after spraying with water, the foliage of the plant produces an unpleasant smell, similar to that produced by the roots when re-potting the seedlings.

Detail of herbarium specimen of Cojoba graciliflora

Cojoba graciliflora can be seen growing in Kew’s Princess of Wales Conservatory. One of the resident water dragons can often be seen on one of the inclined branches, which seems to be its favourite resting place.

Pressed and dried specimens of Cojoba graciliflora are held in Kew’s Herbarium, where they are available to researchers from around the world, by appointment. The details of some of these can be seen online in Kew’s Herbarium Catalogue.

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More about the legume family

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