''Condalia velutina'', known as zarcigüil, zarzagüil or asebuche, is a species of thorny shrub of the Rhamnaceae family endemic to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Description

The bush usually has heights from 2 to 5 meters high with primary branches of 15 to 35 centimeters in length and secondary branches of 3 to 10 centimeters and internodes of 4 to 14 millimeters. The leaves are usually 7 to 19 millimeters long and 5 to 10 millimeters wide with a midrib and 4 to 5 pairs of secondary veins. The fruit when ripe has a color that varies from intense red to light brown, one seed and a length of approximately 10 millimeters; the fruits are edible, having a bittersweet taste. The bark is often used as an oral pain reliever by making an infusion in water and rinsing the mouth with the resulting liquid. It is usually found in soils derived from igneous rock, sharing an environment in oak forests (Quercus), thickets and grasslands. Its altitude varies between 1,800 and 2,400 meters above sea level. Its population extends in most of the states of

Guanajuato Guanajuato (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato), is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city i ...

and

Querétaro Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...

, in the south of

San Luis Potosí San Luis Potosí (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí), is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and i ...

, north-central

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (; Purépecha: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of ...

, northeast of

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

, northwest of the State of Mexico and west of

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila * Hidalgo, Nuevo Le� ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15536867 velutina Endemic flora of Mexico Plants described in 1939