Erythroxylum novogranatense (D.Morris) Hieron.

Bush or shrub c. 1-3 m. Lenticels on the branches minute. Leaves abundant along the twigs, not soon falling, obovate-oblong, bright green above, paler and glaucous beneath, c. (2-)3-6(-7) by 1-3 cm; rounded or sometimes emarginate, always with a mucronate tip or notch, attenuate at the base; midrib rather prominent beneath, specially at the base, nerves numerous, on both surfaces equally distinct, venation delicately anastomosing, central part included between the areolation lines slightly concave and of a paler colour on both surfaces; petiole thin, c. 3-7 mm. Stipules green, triangular, shorter or half as long as the petiole, c. 2.5-4 by 2-3 mm, slightly bicarinate, persistent, on old branches brown, top emarginate, 2-toothed, margin more or less fimbriate. Ramenta none or occasionally a few. Flowers in clusters of 1-4(-8). Bracteoles green, deltoid, acuminate, scarious, up to c. 2.5 by 1 mm, margin delicately fimbriate. Pedicels thickened, c. 5-10 mm. Calyx green, the tube 1-1.5 mm, lobes triangular-ovate, acuminate, c. 1.5-2 by 1 mm. Petals white or greenish-white, oblong, convex c. (3.5-)4(-5) by 2 mm; ligule 3-lobed, with crisped lobes, half as long as the blade of the petal; claw c. 1/5-1/4 the length of the petal. Brachystylous flowers. Staminal tube pale green c. 1 mm. Stamens equal, filaments c. 3½-5½ mm, anthers c. 0.5 by ⅔ mm. Ovary distinctly longer than the staminal tube, c. 2 by 1 mm; styles free, c. 1 mm. Dolichostylous flowers. Staminal tube 1 mm. Stamens unequal, episepalous filaments ½-¾-1 mm, epipetalous ones 0.5-1.5-2 mm, anthers 0.75-0.5 by 0.5-0.25 and 0.5 by 0.25 mm respectively. Ovary longer than the staminal tube, c. 1½ by 1 mm; styles free, c. 2-3 mm. Drupe red, elliptic-oblong, in the fresh state 9-11 by 4-5 mm; stone narrower, pointed, obtusely trigonous, with 4-6 ribs and furrows, c. 8-10 by 3-4 mm; sterile cells hardly distinct, fertile cell almost triangular in section. Seed with 3 distinct ribs; endosperm abundant; embryo central, small, c. 6-7 by 1 mm, flattened; cotyledons lanceolate, c. 3-4 mm; radicle c. 2-3 by 0.5 mm.

A tropical plant. It grows up to 1600 m altitude in the Andes. It suits the hot moist tropics. In XTBG.

Uses. Cultivated in Java since 1875 in the Botanic Garden at Bogor, when the first seeds were received. In 1885 after many difficulties and contradictory reports and advices an experimental plantation was started in the Tjikeumeuh Agricultural Garden at Bogor from seeds imported by the firm of Herman Linden & Co, which proved successful. Since 1886 many seeds were distributed to new plantations. The culture never gained great importance in Java; the price of the leaves rapidly decreased in the early twenties. Several estates used the species as hedges and as accessory crop. According to Corner ( Corner Ways. Trees 1 1940 220 ) cultivation was prohibited in the Malay Peninsula.From the dried leaves medicinal tinctures were prepared and by refining these alkaloids are obtained of which the main one is cocaine, which is used as a stimulant and as an anaesthetic mainly for eye-surgery. In Java a factory was built to prepare the crude alkaloid for export in order to avoid the costs of transport of the leaves to Europe ( Burkill Dict. 1 1935 952 ).

Plants can be grown from seeds and from cuttings.