Comprehensive Description

The Geiger-tree (Cordia sebestena) is a shrub or small tree native to the Caribbean region, but widely grown as an ornamental throughout the tropics and subtropics for its showy reddish-orange flowers. Although Florida is sometimes said to fall within its native distribution, it has been argued that it was almost surely introduced to the Florida Keys early in the 19th century, possibly by John Geiger, a ship captain residing in Key West (Hammer 2000; Wunderlin and Hansen 2008). However, Gann et al. (2008) claim that it is, in fact, native to Florida, stating that intensive research in herbaria indicates that this species is native to the Florida Keys and extreme southern mainland.