Common coca tree
Erythroxylum emarginatum

Family: Erythroxylaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows 6 m tall. It can be 25 m tall. The bark is dark grey. It has cracks along it. The leaves are alternate and broadly sword shaped. The leaves are 2-13 cm long by 1-5 cm wide. The leaves are held in one plane and the ends of the branches are flattened. It has sweet-scented white flowers. The flowers are in small clusters and in the axils of leaves. They are white to cream. The fruit are red berries. They are fleshy. They are 10-13 mm long.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in coastal grassy savannah plains. It also grows on stream banks. In Malawi it grows in forests between 600-2,150 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

It is an important wild food in some areas.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Karra, Mpetu, Mudekeko, Mutsanzuti, Nancoguare, Nancuacar, Rundo, Rutsitu, Shirundi, Umneyana

Synonyms

Erythroxylum caffra Sond.;