Botany

Scientific name:

Erythroxylum novogranatense var. novogranatense

Other names:

Coca colombiana, ayu, pajarita

Botanical description:

It can grow up to 5 meters tall, with smooth bark and either absent or sparse cataphylls. The stipules disintegrate with age and have an entire keel. The branches are flexible, and the flowering branches have leaves. The elliptical to oblanceolate leaves are yellowish-green with an obtuse or rounded apex, and they may or may not have venation lines. Their texture is thinly membranous, and the midrib on the upper surface is flat.

Habitat and distribution:

In pre-Columbian times, this variety of coca was cultivated in the inter-Andean valleys of the Magdalena and Cauca rivers, and possibly in the lowlands of the Caribbean coast. Today, its cultivation has widely expanded, even into urban areas like gardens and indoor spaces. Traditionally, it is concentrated in low mountain regions and semi-arid conditions, such as the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the dry valleys of the Chicamocha and Suárez rivers, and in the departments of Huila and Cauca.

Botanical history:

Originally treated as a variety of Erythroxylum coca known as E. coca var. novogranatense, this variety was described by British botanist Daniel Morris in 1889 from specimens collected in New Granada near Santa Marta and in the Magdalena River valley. Due to its distinctive characteristics compared to E. coca, this variety was later elevated to species rank by German botanist G.H. Hieronymus. This classification was reaffirmed in subsequent taxonomic revisions, including those by Schulz in 1905 and Plowman in 1980.

Forms of use:

The use of Colombian coca or hayo, which was widespread before colonization, has now primarily been reduced to indigenous populations in the Andean region, such as in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Cauca. The drying process of the leaves is crucial, and once dried, the leaves are placed in the mouth to form a moist mass in contact with the mucous membranes, to which an alkaline element is added. In the Sierra Nevada, this alkaline element comes from the calcination of seashells, while in Cauca, it is obtained from limestone rocks.

The use of the poporo, a container for carrying ashes, is very common among the peoples of the Sierra Nevada (especially the Arhuacos, Koguis, and Wiwas). This artifact was also common among indigenous peoples of the interior, as evidenced by the golden poporos of the Quimbaya people, preserved in museums. Additionally, the use of lime holders has been recorded in small farming communities in Santander. In the Sierra Nevada, it is customary to carry dried leaves in traditional mochilas—one for personal consumption and the other for exchanging leaves with others as a friendly greeting. Thus, two of the most representative symbols of Colombia—the Arhuacan mochilas and the Quimbaya poporo—are integral to the consumption of hayo.

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