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Coca Plant
Erythroxylum novogranatense
γ³γ«γγ
Erythroxylaceae is best known for the coca plant of South America. It has virtually no wild occurrence in Japan and is known only in the context of pharmaceutical research. The leaves contain cocaine and other tropane alkaloids, and have been chewed as a stimulant in the Andes since ancient times.
Identification Points
- βLeaves are elliptic and coriaceous with two conspicuous longitudinal lines parallel to the midrib
- βSmall white 5-petaled flowers borne in leaf axils
- βBears small red drupes
Habitat
Native to South America (only for research cultivation in Japan)
Season
Year-round (tropical evergreen)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Growth form
Shrub
Evergreen/Deciduous
Evergreen
Leaf shape
Round
Habitat
Cultivated
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Entire
Petal count
Many
Petal fusion
Free
Stipules
Present
Leaf dissection
Undivided
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic
Ovary position
Superior
Stamen count
5
Phylogenetic Positionγ³γ«γγη§ β
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Malpighiales > Erythroxylaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (about 60β50 million years ago)
Evolution Notes
Erythroxylaceae belongs to Malpighiales. The tropane alkaloids including cocaine are thought to have evolved as defensive compounds against herbivores and insects.
View on evolution timeline βSources & References
AI-generated, needs verification