This colorful native tree is Orange Manjack, Cordia rickseckeri. It is also known locally as San Bartolomé. It belongs to the Cordia group and is native only to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, where it grows mainly in seasonally dry tropical habitats.

Orange Manjack usually grows as a shrub or small to medium-sized tree with a rounded, spreading crown. Its ability to tolerate heat, strong sunlight, rocky soils and periods of drought makes it well suited to dry Caribbean woodland.

The leaves are simple, broad and somewhat leathery, with prominent veins and a slightly rough texture. They are arranged alternately along the branches and form a dense green background for the flowers.

The blossoms are the tree’s most striking feature. They are large, trumpet- or funnel-shaped and usually vivid orange. Several flowers may appear together near the ends of the branches, creating bright patches of color against the foliage.

Orange Manjack is closely related to the better-known Geiger Tree, Cordia sebestena, and the flowers are similar in shape and color. Older botanical treatments even classified Orange Manjack as a variety of that species, although it is now accepted as Cordia rickseckeri.

The flowers attract bees, butterflies and other visiting insects. Their broad openings make the reproductive parts easy to reach, while the brilliant orange color makes the tree especially conspicuous when it is in full bloom.

After flowering, the tree produces rounded or egg-shaped fruits. These contain a hard inner stone surrounded by fleshy tissue. Birds and other animals may feed on the fruit and help disperse the seeds.

The name “manjack” is applied to several Caribbean trees in the genus Cordia. Orange Manjack is distinguished by its showy orange flowers and its very limited natural range.

Because the species occurs naturally only in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, a specimen growing here represents a genuine part of our regional botanical heritage. Propagation work has been carried out in the Virgin Islands to help preserve and re-establish the species.

Orange Manjack is therefore valuable for more than its beauty. Its flowers support pollinators, its fruits contribute to the local food web, and the tree itself represents a species found naturally in only a small corner of the Caribbean.

When presenting it to a group, the best feature to emphasize is the flower. Those brilliant orange trumpets make the tree easy to recognize and explain why such a locally restricted native deserves greater attention.