Cordia myxaAssyrian Plum

The Cordia myxa, commonly known as the Assyrian Plum, Sebesten or Lasura, is a broad-crowned tree of the Middle East and southern Asia with large, rough, heart-shaped leaves. Small cream flowers are followed by clusters of sticky, yellow-brown edible fruit that ripen through the summer.

It is a traditional shade and fruit tree across the region, thriving in heat and alkaline soil and asking for only moderate water once away. Specifiers use it for park and courtyard shade, agroforestry-style planting and heritage or productive landscapes.

Specifications

• Height8 to 12 metres
• Width8 to 12 metres
• Native toThe Middle East, north east Africa and the Indian subcontinent
• FoliageLarge, broad, rough-textured heart-shaped leaves in mid green; deciduous in the cool season
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilTolerates a wide range including sandy, loamy and alkaline soils; prefers reasonable depth and drainage
• LightFull sun
• WaterModerate; drought-tolerant once established, with better fruiting where irrigation is reliable
• ClimateThrives in hot arid, semi-arid and subtropical regions and is long adapted to Gulf conditions

Additional Features

• FormWide, low-branched crown that casts dense shade from a relatively young age
• FlowersSmall cream to white flowers in loose sprays in spring, lightly scented
• FruitClusters of sticky yellow-brown fruit ripening through summer, edible and long used locally
• UsesPark and courtyard shade, heritage and productive landscapes, agroforestry-style planting, roadside shade
• SpacingPlant 8 to 12 metres apart for a closed shade canopy
• Low MaintenanceFormative pruning to a clear stem; fruit drop should be planned for above paving and seating
• Pest ResistanceGenerally robust in dry climates with no significant recurring problems
• Drought ToleranceGood once established, holding foliage through hot dry summers with modest irrigation
• Wildlife AttractionThe summer fruit crop is taken heavily by birds and the broad canopy is used for nesting
• Cultural SignificanceA long-established regional shade and fruit tree, familiar across the Middle East and South Asia

The Assyrian Plum is a genuinely regional shade tree, and it reads as belonging in a way that imported species do not.