The Misunderstood Coca Plant
One of the most misjudged plants commercially produced and used is the coca plant. Most commonly associated with being the plant which cocaine is created from, it has the stereotype of being a dangerous plant. However, the coca plant has many valid and safe uses, which have been utilized by herbalists since the species’ discovery.
South America, Africa, Ceylon, Taiwan, Indonesia and Formosa are the places that the coca plant is most suited for growing. However, it is most commonly stereotyped for its existence in the Andes of South America, where the greatest volume of cocaine is produced. The first known documentation of the plant was in 1783, but it was not classified until 1786, where it was given the name Erythroxylum coca. However, it is believed that the coca plant has been tended as a domestic plant for over 2,000 years. There is proof within burial grounds of coca to lend credence this belief.
Diligence and effort is needed to nurture the coca plant. The life of the coca plant begins as a fruit, which is picked when the drupes are almost ripe. These drupes are placed within a basket and allowed to sit where the skin of the fruit becomes squishy. Once this has occurred, the seeds are taken and the seeds are placed in the sun to dry out.
Only once this happens, the seeds can be planted. Germination takes approximately 24 days. Once the plant has sprouted 4 leaves, they are protected by a lattice covering for a year.
After the year has ended, the plants are transferred to preparation fields. This transportation can only be done within the rainy season. Three years after this transfer, some leaves may be harvested. Once the coca plant is able to be harvested, they are gathered three or four times a year. A fully established acre of coca plants can yield 1,500 to 2,000 pounds of leaf per year.
While coca plants are annual, a field will be resown once every twenty years, as the quality of the plant diminishes over time.
As coca plants are so valuable, there are many safeguards taken to protect the crops from natural predators and disease. There are several varieties of pests that feed on the coca plants, as well as fungus that can harm or kill the stalks, branches and leaves. Weeds can also be fatal to young coca plants, as the weeds remove the soil of the nutrients that the plants need for basic survival.
Coca-Cola is the most known producer and user of the coca plant.While this drink no longer contains cocaine, it is still made directly from the coca leaf.
Contemporary medicinal uses of coca include use as a bactericide, as spinal anesthetics and as treatments for ailments such as eczema and shingles.
Find additional information on outdoor landscaping and plants visit Bean Plant Growth as well as here Flowering Plant Identification
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