Erythroxylum coca

Native to tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, this genus includes shrubs and trees with alternate leaves. Small flowers grow where the leaves meet the stems; each has five petals and stamens joined at the base. The fleshy fruits contain a single seed. Two South American members, Erythroxylum coca and Erythroxylum novogranatense, are known as coca. Their leaves are traditionally chewed and used to make tea in Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru, and are the source of cocaine. Photographed in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia.