Erythroxylaceae (the coca family) is a family of

flowering A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

trees and shrubs consisting of 4

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

and 271

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

. The four genera are ''

Aneulophus ''Aneulophus'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Erythroxylaceae. Its native range is Western Central Tropical Africa Although tropical Africa is mostly familiar to the West for its rainforests, this biogeographic realm ...

'' Benth., ''

Erythroxylum ''Erythroxylum'' (''Erythroxylon'') is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Erythroxylaceae. Many of the approximately 200 species contain the substance cocaine,Bieri S, Brachet A, Veuthey J, Christen P. Cocaine distribution in wil ...

'' P.Browne, ''

Nectaropetalum ''Nectaropetalum'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Erythroxylaceae Erythroxylaceae (the coca family) is a family of flowering trees and shrubs consisting of 4 genera and 271 species. The four genera are ''Aneulophus'' Be ...

'' Engl., and ''

Pinacopodium ''Pinacopodium'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Erythroxylaceae. Its native range is Western Central Tropical Africa Although tropical Africa is mostly familiar to the West for its rainforests, this biogeographic real ...

'' Exell & Mendonça. The best-known species are the

coca Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. Coca is known worldwide for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. The plant is grown as a cash crop in the Argentine Northwest, Bolivia, Al ...

plants, including the species ''

Erythroxylum coca ''Erythroxylum coca'' is one of two species of cultivated coca. Description The coca plant resembles a blackthorn bush, and grows to a height of . The branches are straight, and the leaves, which have a green tint, are thin, opaque, oval, and tap ...

'', the source of the substance

References

Malpighiales families {{Malpighiales-stub