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Psychotria viridis is a shrubby perennial in the coffee family, native to tropical Central and South America, best known as a source of the DMT-containing leaves used in ayahuasca. It grows well in warm, humid conditions and is easy to propagate from cuttings or fresh seed.
Psychotria viridis, also known as chacruna, chacrona, or chaqruy in the Quechua languages, is a perennial, shrubby flowering plant in the coffee family Rubiaceae. It is a close relative of Psychotria carthagenensis (a.k.a. samiruka or amiruca) of Ecuador. It is commonly used as an ingredient of ayahuasca, a decoction with a long history of its entheogenic (connecting to spirit) use and its status as a "plant teacher" among the Indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest.
Psychotria viridis is hardy in USDA zone 10 or higher.
Cultivation from cuttings is easiest. A single leaf (or even part of a leaf slightly covered with soil) can be sufficient for a cutting. Propagation from seed is reliable and easy when freshly harvested seed is used. Older seed which has not been stored properly can have a very low germination rate after 6 months. Even while fresh, because P. viridis has an immature embryo, the germination process can take 2–6 months. There are approximately 50 seeds/g.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Psychotria viridis 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.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
