Coca is a plant of the Erythroxylov family

Coca is a plant of the Erythroxylov family

Coca is a plant of the Erythroxylov family, its homeland is South America. The plant plays an important role in many traditional Andean cultures. Coca is well known throughout the world for its alkaloids, which include cocaine, a powerful stimulant. Description The coca bush resembles a blackthorn and grows to a height of 2-3 m (7-10 ft). The branches are straight, the leaves that have a greenish tinge are thin, opaque, oval, and cone-shaped at the tips. The flowers are small and arranged in small clusters on short petioles, the corolla consists of five yellowish-white petals, the stamen is heart-shaped, the pistil consists of three carpels united in a three-chambered ovary. The flowers ripen into red berries. The leaves are sometimes eaten by the larvae of the Eloria noyesi moth. Cultivation Coca is traditionally grown in the lower elevations of the eastern slopes of the Andes, or in the highlands, depending on the type of plant. Since ancient times, coca leaves have been an important commodity of trade between the lowlands where it grows and the highlands, where it is heavily consumed by the Andean populations of Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Southeast Argentina. The dried leaves are dark green on the upper surface and gray-green on the lower surface, the smell is strong and tea-like. During chewing, there is a pleasant numbness in the mouth, the taste is pleasant and spicy. Coca is traditionally chewed with lime to increase the release of active ingredients from the leaves. Seeds are sown from December to January in small areas protected from the sun, and young plants that have reached a height of 40-60 cm are transplanted. The plant grows well in hot, humid places, such as in a forest clearing, but leaves obtained in dry areas, on hillsides, are most preferred. The first and most abundant coca harvest is in March, after the rainy season, the second is at the end of June, and the third is in October or November. The green leaves are dried in the sun, then packed in bags, which must be kept dry to preserve the quality of the leaves.

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