Erythroxylum coca Lam.

Small tree or shrub up to 2.5 m. Lenticels on the branches sometimes warty, very prominent. Leaves chiefly at the ends of the twigs, soon falling, broad-elliptic, c. 3-8 by 2-4 cm, dark green above, paler and glaucous beneath, acuminate or rounded with a mucronate tip, cuneate at the base; midrib prominent beneath; nerves numerous, very faint on both sides, venation delicately anastomosing, two lines giving a clearly distinguishable, slightly concave areolation of a paler colour; petiole c. 2-6 mm. Stipules triangular, more or less bicari-nate, shorter than or as long as the petiole, c. 3-5 by 3-5 mm, persistent, on old branches brown and stiff, top acute, 2-toothed. Ramenta numerous. Flowers in clusters of 6-12, rarely more, in the axil of leaves or ramenta. Bracteoles deltoid small and scarious. Pedicels thickened, c. 4-6 mm. Calyx green, the tube 2-1 mm, lobes triangular-ovate, acute, c. 1-2 mm. Petals yellow or yellowish green, oblong, convex, c. 4-4.5 by 2 mm; ligule 3-lobed (2 lobes crisped), half as long as the blade, claw broad, c. 1/5 of the petal. Brachystylous flowers. Staminal tube c. 1.5 mm. Stamens equal; filaments 4 mm, anthers 0.5 by 0.5 mm. Ovary ellipsoid, slightly longer than the staminal tube, c.2 by 1.5 mm; styles free, c. 2 mm. Dolichostylous flowers. Stamens unequal; episepalous filaments 2 mm, epipetalous ones 3 mm; anthers 0.75 by 0.5 and 0.5 by 0.25 mm respectively. Styles free, 4 mm. Drupe red, oblong-ovoid, pointed, when dry obtusely trigonous, furrowed, c. 7-10 by 3-4.5 mm; sterile cells not very distinct, fertile cell large, almost triquetrous in section. Seed with 3 distinct ribs; endosperm abundant; embryo central, small, c. 6 by 1.5 mm, flattened, cotyledons lanceolate c. 4 mm; radicle c. 2 mm.

At Bogor it produces abundant fruit but not much foliage as it does at higher altitudes, for example in tropical South America, where it is grown on red clay soils up to 1600 m. Fl.-fr. Jan.-Dec.

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. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer.

Plants are grown by cuttings.