Botany

Scientific name:

Erythroxylum coca var. coca

Other names:

Coca andina, Coca de Huánuco, Coca boliviana

Botanical description:

This plant can reach up to 2.5 meters in height, with rough bark and densely grouped cataphylls. Its stipules, which remain over time, have a fringed keel. The branches are flexible, and those bearing flowers are leafless. The leaves are elliptical, dark green, with an acute or obtuse apex, and prominent venation on the underside. They have a firm, membranous texture, with a sharply raised midrib on the upper surface.

Habitat and distribution:

Originally, this variety of coca extended from Ecuador to Bolivia and northern Argentina, mainly on the eastern slopes of the Andes, within the ecological zone known as the Yungas. Its cultivation spread to Colombia with the rise of industrial cocaine production. According to Plowman (1984), this variety may have originated in the Huallaga River valley. It prefers humid mountain habitats and is absent in hot climates.

Botanical history:

The first scientific collection of Andean coca dates back to 1749, when French botanist Joseph de Jussieu identified and drew it during his visit to Coroico in the Bolivian Yungas. This journey took place shortly after the Hispano-French Geodesic Mission to the Royal Audience of Quito in what is now Ecuador. Jussieu was part of this expedition, alongside prominent scientists such as Charles Marie de La Condamine, Louis Godin, Pierre Bouguer, Jorge Juan, and Antonio de Ulloa, who embarked on a historic mission to measure the arc of the meridian at the equator.

Despite the importance of this discovery, the coca specimen collected by Jussieu remained uncatalogued for nearly three decades in the archives of the Jardin du Roi in Paris. It wasn’t until 1786 that Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, one of the most influential naturalists of his time, formally described it as a new species under the name Erythroxylum coca Lam. This specimen became the type specimen for the species, marking a crucial milestone in the botany of this plant family. Today, this specimen, along with its duplicates (isotypes), is preserved in the herbarium of the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, France, where it continues to be a testament to the early scientific studies on coca.

Forms of use:

The leaves are first dried, either in the sun or using an artificial method. During this process, it is crucial to prevent excess moisture from causing fermentation in the leaves, which could alter their aroma, taste, and composition. The traditional method of consuming this variety in Peru and Bolivia (known as coqueo or acullico) is similar to the one used for Colombian coca and Trujillo coca. It consists of placing a few leaves in the mouth and keeping them in the cheeks, where they are moistened and partially broken down until they form a homogeneous mass. The alkaline element added periodically during the chewing of this mass is lime, obtained by calcining fragments of limestone rocks, which is then cooled and sometimes combined with ashes from other plants. These additives soften the strong alkaline flavor of the lime, and in some cases, enhance the extraction of the alkaloid. Among the most common ashes are those from quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa), kjoka (Lepechinia meyenii), some succulents like cacti, and other aromatic plants. This mixture is known as llipta.

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