E. coca var. ipadu (Amazonian Coca) - cultivated in the lowland Amazon Basin.
Erythroxylum novogranatense
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Erythroxylum novogranatense, from Latin:
novo = new, granatense = Granada, named by
William Turner Thiselton-Dyer, the third director
of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, because its
country of origin was the Spanish colonial
Viceroyalty of New Granada—present day
Colombia. It is a neotropical species of
Erythroxylum (Erythroxylaceae). Cocaine is
produced from the leaves.
Subspecies
Erythroxylum novogranatense contains 2
subspecies, i.e. Erythroxylum novogranatense
var. novogranatense (D.Morris) Hieron and
Erythroxylum novogranatense var. truxillense
(Rusby) Plowman. These two subspecies are
phenotypically similar, but morphologically
distinguishable.
Contents
1 Taxonomy
2 Cocaine content
3 Ecology
4 Propagation and planting
5 Identification
6 Harvesting
7 References
8 External links
Taxonomy
Among the genus Erythroxylum, cocaine-rich leaves are obtained from 4 taxa:
E. coca var. coca (Bolivian or Huanuco Coca) - well adapted to the eastern
Andes of Peru and Bolivia, an area of humid, tropical, montane forest.
E. novogranatense var. novogranatense (Colombian Coca) - a highland variety
that is utilized in lowland areas. It is cultivated in drier regions in South America.
However, E. novogranatense is very adaptable to varying ecological conditions.
Erythroxylum novogranatense The leaves have parallel lines on either side of the central vein.
E. novogranatense var. truxillense (Trujillo Coca) - the leaves of E.
novogranatense var. truxillense does not have parallel lines on either side of the
central vein like all other varieties.
E. coca var. coca is considered the ancestor, while E. novogranatense var. truxillense is
derived from it, and E. novogranatense var. novogranatense derived from E.
novogranatense var. truxillense. Wild populations of E. coca var. coca are found in the
eastern Andes, but the other 3 taxa are only known as cultivated plants.
E. novogranatense var. novogranatense is native to Colombia and Venezuela, but its
5-year-old E. novogranatense var
adaptability and easy propagation has led to a wide distribution over the Old World and
Novogranatense New World tropics. It was introduced in Bogor (West Java, Indonesia) in 1875, and by
Scientific classification 1888 large quantities of seed were already being distributed in South-East Asia. It has
been grown in Peninsular Malaysia, western and eastern Java (Indonesia), northern
Kingdom: Plantae Borneo (Indonesia), northern Sulawesi (Indonesia) and the Philippines (Luzon).
(unranked): Angiosperms
E. novogranatense var. truxillense is grown in arid areas in northern Peru. Neither of
(unranked): Eudicots
these 2 varieties is known from wild populations.
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Malpighiales Cocaine content
Family: Erythroxylaceae
In an extensive study, the cocaine content in leaves of E. coca var. coca (30 samples)
Genus: Erythroxylum was found to range from 0.23-0.96%, with a mean of 0.63%, while the cocaine content
Species: E. novogranatense in E. coca var. ipadu (6 samples) was lower: 0.11-0.41%, with an average of 0.25%. E.
novogranatense var. novogranatense (3 samples) contained 0.55-0.93% cocaine, with
Binomial name
an average of 0.77% and E. novogranatense var. truxillense (14 samples) 0.42-1.02%,
Erythroxylum novogranatense with a mean of 0.72%.
(Morris) Hieron
Ecology
E. novogranatense is a highland variety that is utilized in lowland areas. It is cultivated
in drier regions in South America. However, E. novogranatense is very adaptable to
varying ecological conditions, and grows well in both humid and dry areas, and at low
and higher altitudes. In Java (Indonesia), E. novogranatense has been cultivated from
sea-level to 1000 m altitude, with best results at 400–600 m.
In controlled environment studies, the optimum average daily temperature for leave
growth for E. novogranatense var. novogranatense was found to be around 27 C (80.6
F), whereas leaf growth was generally higher at photosynthetic photon flux densities
(PPFD) of 250 or 400 micromol per meter square per second than at 155 micromol per
meter square per second. Environmental effects on the cocaine concentration in the
leaves were smaller, so that total cocaine production per plant was largely a function of
leaf mass, with environmental conditions that stimulated leaf growth giving higher
cocaine yields. Both species grow on soils with low pH, and a greenhouse study has
shown that the optimum pH for biomass accumulation of E. novogranatense is between
4.7 - 6.0.
Propagation and planting
E. novogranatense var. novogranatense, E. novogranatense var. truxillense and E.
coca var. coca have to be reproduced by seed, because vegetative propagation is
difficult. However, E. coca var. ipadu does not produce seed and is produced by stem
cuttings. It cannot reproduce without human interference. Cultivated E. novogranatense
var. novogranatense produces abundant seed and is easy to propagate. Seed viability
decreases rapidly. Germination percentages of E. coca and E. novogranatense seed were
found to decrease from around 95% and 89% directly after harvesting to 29% and 0%,
respectively, after 24 days of storage at 4 C (39 F). Coca seedlings are usually sown in
shaded nurseries and transplanted to the field when they are about one year old and 20–
25 cm tall. In the field, they are planted at a spacing of 1–2 m. The actual time of
transplanting and the spacing of the plants varies with climatic factors and whether coca
is interplanted or cultivated as a sole crop.
Another interesting point is the South American coca farmers when collecting their
seeds, pour them into a container of water and the seeds that float are discarded as they
are non viable. Most South American coca farmers use this method as it results in earlier
harvesting, and as a consequence the chance of obtaining viable seeds from Peru etc is
becoming very difficult.
The first harvest of coca takes place at 1–3 years after transplanting. In the Island of Java
(Indonesia), a first harvest can be expected within a year after transplanting. The leaves
have to be stiff and easily detachable to be harvested. Leaves can be harvested every
50–60 days in the rainy season, but when it is drier, they are usually harvested every 3–
4 months. The leaves should be pinched from the plant, not ripped off.
References
Plant Resources of South-East Asia 12(3) Medicinal and Poisonous Plants 3:
R.H.M.J. Lemmens, N. Bunyapraphatsara (Eds.); Backhuys Publishers, Leiden,
2003, 664 pages, ISBN 90-5782-125-7
External links
The Dutch Colonial Coca Boom, 1905-1930
(http://www.angelfire.com/planet/dbotany/javacocahistory.htm)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythroxylum_novogranatense"
Categories: Erythroxylum | Crops originating from the Americas | Flora of Colombia |
Cocaine | Herbal and fungal stimulants | Medicinal plants
This page was last modified on 12 May 2011 at 18:03.
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Identification
The basic physical difference between E. coca and E. novogranatense is that the E.
coca (sometimes called E. bolivianum) has larger leaves that are elliptical, oval and
broader near the middle (broad-elliptic) and darker green color above. The E.
novogranatense has smaller, narrower leaves, broadest near the apex (oblong-obovate),
and bright green color above. To identify E. novogranatense var. novogranatense from
E. novogranatense var. truxillense: The leaves of E. novogranatense var. truxillense
does not possess parallel lines either side of the central vein like all other varieties.

Harvesting