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Coca

Erythroxylum

Coca
Photo: Alwis, Public domain

Erythroxylum is a genus of about 200 tropical flowering shrubs and small trees in the family Erythroxylaceae, mostly from South America. The best-known members are coca plants, which contain the alkaloid cocaine, and several are grown for stimulant tea or traditional remedies.

Family
Erythroxylaceae (Erythroxyl family)
Light
Bright indirect, Part shade
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist during the growing season and let the top layer dry slightly between waterings.
Soil
Well-drained, slightly acidic potting mix or loam with added perlite or bark.
Temperature
18–30 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: Leaves and other parts of many species contain cocaine and related tropane alkaloids, which are stimulants and can be harmful in quantity.

About

Erythroxylum is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Erythroxylaceae. Many of the approximately 200 species contain the tropane alkaloid cocaine, and two of the species within this genus, Erythroxylum coca and Erythroxylum novogranatense, both native to South America, are the main commercial source of cocaine and of the mild stimulant coca tea. Another species, Erythroxylum vaccinifolium (also known as catuaba) is used as an aphrodisiac in Brazilian drinks and herbal medicine. Erythroxylum australe was traditionally used by Aboriginal Australians for rites and other practices.

Where it grows

Erythroxylum species are food sources for the larvae of some butterflies and moths, including several Morpho species and Dalcera abrasa, which has been recorded on E. deciduum, and the species of Agrias.

Other Erythroxylum plants

Erythroxylum australe · Coca · Colombian coca

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Erythroxylum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

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