''Cola acuminata'' is a

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

in the genus ''

Cola Cola is a Carbonation, carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus essential oil, oils, and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked br ...

'', of the family

Malvaceae Malvaceae (), or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include Theobroma cacao, cacao, Cola (plant), cola, cotton, okra, Hibiscus sabdariffa, ...

, native to tropical Africa. It is generally known for its fruit, the kola nut, originally used to impart the

cola Cola is a Carbonation, carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus essential oil, oils, and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked br ...

flavor in manufactured beverages, such as

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

Description

The kola tree mainly inhabits lowlands, and is medium-sized with low branches, grey or dark green bark, dark green leaves, and white flowers pollinated by insects. It usually grows to a height of about , is hardy to zones 10-12 (

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...

), and is vulnerable to frost. The tree prefers moist, sandy,

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...

or clay soils that are well-drained with neutral acidity. It requires sun exposure and can tolerate drought.

Fruits

The fruits are rough, mottled and up to long and contain large, flat and bright red coloured seeds, commonly known as kola nuts. The seed contains 1.25 - 2.4%

caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine chemical classification, class and is the most commonly consumed Psychoactive drug, psychoactive substance globally. It is mainly used for its eugeroic (wakefulness pr ...

, and can be chewed or ground into a powder added to beverages to increase alertness, diminish fatigue, and increase stamina. These seeds are unique in having as many as six

cotyledons A cotyledon ( ; ; "a cavity, small cup, any cup-shaped hollow", gen. (), ) is a "seed leaf" – a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant – and is formally defined as "the embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, one or mor ...

, the greatest number of any dicot. 99.99% of dicots have two cotyledons. Keay andOnochie , Nigerian trees , Lagos: Govt printing .page 229)

Uses

Its fruits are harvested from the forests of

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

. The fruits contain about 2%

catechin Catechin is a flavan-3-ol, a type of secondary metabolite providing antioxidant roles in plants. It belongs to the subgroup of polyphenols called flavonoids. The name of the catechin chemical family derives from ''catechu'', which is the tannic ...

-caffeine, theobromine and kolatin. They are roasted, pounded or chewed, and can be added to drinks, such as tea or milk, or cereal such as

porridge Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...

. When the whole nuts are chewed, they have a bitter flavour, but leave a sweet

aftertaste Aftertaste is the taste intensity of a food or beverage that is perceived immediately after that food or beverage is removed from the mouth. The aftertastes of different foods and beverages can vary by intensity and over time, but the unifying fea ...

that enhances flavour and sweetness of other foods in the meal. In Africa, kola nuts may be used in

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

or as a food colorant, while the wood may be used as fuel, or for making furniture, houses or boats.

Gallery

File:Cola acuminata - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-183.jpg, ''Cola acuminata'' in flower : coloured plate from '' Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen'' Image:Koeh-190.jpg, ''Cola acuminata'' in fruit, also from ''Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen'' File:Pg157 Sterculia cola ou Sterculia acuminata.jpg, Botanical line drawing of anatomy of ''C. acuminata'', showing warty exterior of pod, from ''Du Niger au golfe de Guiné...'', by Louis Gustave Binger File:Cola MS 6687.JPG, Kola nuts spread out for sale in the central market in

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...

, Burkina Faso File:Cola acuminata - African kola nut seeds, with twigs.jpg, Dried kola nuts and chewing sticks harvested from ''C. acuminata''

References

acuminata Flora of West-Central Tropical Africa Flora of West Tropical Africa Flora of the Democratic Republic of the Congo {{Sterculioideae-stub