KOLA
Cola nitida (Vent.) Schott & Endl. (Sterculiaceae).
Originally given the scientific name of Sterculia nitida in 1805 by the French botanist Étienne Pierre Ventanet, who saw plants cultivated in the Empress Josephine's (wife of Napoleon) garden at Malmaison. The German botanists Heinrich Schott and Stephan Endlicher decided it belonged to the
genus Cola in 1832.
Native to the tropical forests of West Africa, from Liberia to Ghana.
Life form: long-lived forest tree.
Parts used: seeds (termed nuts), chewed as a stimulant.
Ploidy level:
diploid.
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