Translate this page:
Summary
Erythroxylum coca, otherwise known as Coca or Little Coca, is an evergreen small tree growing up to 3.5 m tall. It has straight branches, thin leaves that are opaque and oval, and small flowers. It is commonly found in South America particularly in northern Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru. The leaves contain cocaine and other alkaloids. Such alkaloids are extracted and used to make various pharmaceutical drugs.
Physical Characteristics
Erythroxylum coca is an evergreen Shrub growing to 1.5 m (5ft) by 1.5 m (5ft) at a medium rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
UK Hardiness Map
US Hardiness Map
Synonyms
Erythroxylum bolivianum Burck, Erythroxylum chilpei E.Machado, Erythroxylum coca var. coca
Habitats
Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Leaves Seed
Edible Uses: Drink Tea
Edible portion: Leaves - tea. The dried leaves yield a substance called cocaine which is a stimulant. The leaves are used to make coca "wine". The leaves are chewed as a masticatory. The extract from the nut is used to flavour drinks, candy and alcoholic drinks.
References More on Edible Uses
Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Anaesthetic Narcotic Stimulant Tonic
The leaves contain cocaine and other alkaloids. They are narcotic, cerebral-stimulant and locally anaesthetic[ 46 ]. The alkaloids are extracted and used to make various pharmaceutical drugs, including a local anaesthetic[ 46 , 348 ]. Chewed with lime or plant ashes the leaves cause a feeling of easiness and increasing energy. Therefore they are used by native peoples as a stimulant to better endure hunger, thirst and physical stress[ 317 ]. An infusion of the leaves serves also as remedy for altitude sickness, the feared 'soroche'[ 317 ].
References More on Medicinal Uses
Now available: PLANTS FOR YOUR FOOD FOREST: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens.
An important new book from PFAF. It focuses on the attributes of plants suitable for food forests, what each can contribute to a food forest ecosystem, including carbon sequestration, and the kinds of foods they yield. The book suggests that community and small-scale food forests can provide a real alternative to intensive industrialised agriculture, and help to combat the many inter-related environmental crises that threaten the very future of life on Earth.
Read More
Other Uses
References More on Other Uses
Cultivation details
A plant of moderate to higher elevations in the tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 17 - 23°c, but can tolerate 14 - 27°c[ 418 ]. Mature plants can be killed by temperatures of -5°c or lower, but young growth will be severely damaged at -1°c[ 418 ]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 2,100mm, but tolerates 700 - 4,000mm[ 418 ]. Widely cultivated in the Andean region of the tropics, where it locally also occurs wild, the plant is not easy to cultivate elsewhere, and it is little known in other parts of the world. In South-East Asia, it is only grown in botanical gardens, not as a crop[ 310 ]. The form Erythroxylum coca ipadu is only found as a cultivated plant in Amazonian lowland rain forest areas[ 310 ]. Grows best in a sunny position[ 418 ]. Succeeds in most fertile, well-drained soils[ 418 ]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.3 - 8[ 418 ]. Plants take 1 - 3 years from seed to the first harvest, and then have an economical life of around 20 years[ 418 ]. Annual yields are up to 2 tonnes/ha of dried leaves[ 418 ]. Flowering Time: Late Winter/Early Spring Mid Spring Late Spring/Early Summer Mid Summer. Bloom Color: White/Near White.
References Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information
Temperature Converter
Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:
Fahrenheit:
The PFAF Bookshop
Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees, and Woodland Gardening. Our new book to be released soon is Edible Shrubs.
Shop Now
Propagation
Plants are grown by cuttings. Seed.
Other Names
If available other names are mentioned here
Coca, coca plant, cocae folium, cocal, cocalier, cocaïer, erythroxylon coca, ipadu, koka, kokabuske, kokastrauch,
Native Plant Search
Search over 900 plants ideal for food forests and permaculture gardens. Filter to search native plants to your area. The plants selected are the plants in our book 'Plants For Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens, as well as plants chosen for our forthcoming related books for Tropical/Hot Wet Climates and Mediterranean/Hot Dry Climates. Native Plant Search
Found In
Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available
Africa, Andes, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bolivia, Cameroon, Central Africa, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Nicaragua, Peru, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, South America, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, West Africa,
Weed Potential
Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section.
Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed
Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.
Expert comment
Author
Lam.
Botanical References
1
Links / References
For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.
Readers comment
| Add a comment |
|
If you have important information about this plant that may help other users please add a comment or link below. Only comments or links that are felt to be directly relevant to a plant will be included. If you think a comment/link or information contained on this page is inaccurate or misleading we would welcome your feedback at [email protected]. If you have questions about a plant please use the Forum on this website as we do not have the resources to answer questions ourselves.
* Please note: the comments by website users are not necessarily those held by PFAF and may give misleading or inaccurate information.
To leave a comment please Register or login here All comments need to be approved so will not appear immediately.
|
Subject : Erythroxylum coca
|
|
|
|