Cola (plant)
Cola is a genus of trees native to the tropical forests of Africa, classified in the family Malvaceae, subfamily Sterculioideae. Species in this genus are sometimes referred to as kola tree or kola nut for the caffeine-containing fruit produced by the trees that is often used as a flavoring ingredient in beverages. The genus was thought to be closely related to the South American genus Theobroma, or cocoa, but the latter is now placed in a different subfamily. They are evergreen trees, growing up to 20 m tall, with glossy ovoid leaves up to 30 cm long and star-shaped fruit.
Origin and distribution
Cola is a genus of the family Malvaceae with approximately 140 species occurring in the evergreen lowland and montane forest of continental Africa. The earliest known evidence of Cola is Cola amharaensis, a well-preserved fossil leaf compression from the late Oligocene Guang River flora of Ethiopia and dated to 27.23 ± 0.1 Ma. Kola nuts are seeds harvested from pods, primarily from the species Cola nitida and Cola acuminata. Outside mainland Africa, some species are cultivated for their nuts in Brazil, Jamaica and elsewhere in the humid tropics.Species
139 species are accepted.Cola acuminata Schott & Endl.Cola altissima Engl.Cola angustifolia K.Schum.Cola anomala K.Schum.Cola argentea Mast.Cola asymmetrica Cola attiensis Aubrév. & Pellegr.Cola baldwinii Cola ballayi Cornu ex HeckelCola bilenguensis Pellegr.Cola bipindensis Engl.Cola bodardii Pellegr.Cola boxiana Brenan & KeayCola brevipes K.Schum.Cola bruneelii De Wild.Cola buesgenii Engl.Cola buntingii Baker f.Cola cabindensis ExellCola caricifolia K.Schum.Cola cauliflora Mast.Cola cecidiifolia CheekCola cheringoma Cola chlamydantha K.Schum.Cola chlorantha F.WhiteCola clavata Mast.Cola coccinea Engl. & K.KrauseCola congolana De Wild. & T.DurandCola cordifolia R.Br.Cola crispiflora K.Schum.Cola digitata Mast.Cola discoglypremnophylla Brenan & A.P.D.JonesCola diversifolia De Wild. & T.DurandCola dorrii Cola duparquetiana Baill.Cola edeensis Engl. & K.KrauseCola elegans Pierre ex BretelerCola etugei Cola fibrillosa Engl. & K.KrauseCola ficifolia Mast.Cola flaviflora Engl. & K.KrauseCola flavovelutina K.Schum.Cola gabonensis Mast.Cola gigantea A.Chev.Cola gigas Baker f.Cola gilgiana Engl.Cola gilletii De Wild.Cola glabra Brenan & KeayCola glaucoviridis Pellegr.Cola greenwayi BrenanCola griseiflora De Wild.Cola heterophylla Schott & Endl.Cola hispida Brenan & KeayCola hypochrysea K.Schum.Cola idoumensis Pellegr.Cola kimbozensis CheekCola kodminensis Cola lasiantha Engl. & K.KrauseCola lateritia K.Schum.Cola laurifolia Mast.Cola le-testui Pellegr.Cola lepidota K.Schum.Cola letouzeyana NkongmeneckCola liberica JongkindCola lissachensis Pellegr.Cola lizae N.HalléCola lomensis Engl. & K.KrauseCola lorougnonis Aké AssiCola louisii Germ.Cola lukei CheekCola macrantha K.Schum.Cola mahoundensis Pellegr.Cola mamboana Cola marsupium K.Schum.Cola mayimbensis Pellegr.Cola mayumbensis ExellCola megalophylla Brenan & KeayCola metallica CheekCola micrantha Cola microcarpa Cola millenii K.Schum.Cola minor BrenanCola mixta A.Chev.Cola mossambicensis WildCola mosserayana Germ.Cola moussavoui Cola nana Engl. & K.KrauseCola natalensis Oliv.Cola ndongensis Engl. & K.KrauseCola nigerica Brenan & KeayCola nitida Schott & Endl.Cola noldeae Exell & MendonçaCola obtusa Engl. & K.KrauseCola octoloboides BrenanCola pachycarpa K.Schum.Cola pallida A.Chev.Cola philipi-jonesii Brenan & KeayCola pierlotii Germ.Cola porphyrantha BrenanCola praeacuta Brenan & KeayCola pseudoclavata CheekCola pulcherrima Engl.Cola quentinii CheekCola quintasii Engl.Cola reticulata A.Chev.Cola rhynchophylla Cola ricinifolia Engl. & K.KrauseCola rondoensis CheekCola rostrata K.Schum.Cola roy Cola ruawaensis CheekCola rubra A.Chev.Cola scheffleri K.Schum.Cola sciaphila Louis ex Germ.Cola selengana Germ.Cola semecarpophylla K.Schum.Cola simiarum Sprague ex Brenan & KeayCola sphaerocarpa A.Chev.Cola sphaerosperma HeckelCola stelechantha BrenanCola stigmatosa Cola subglaucescens Engl.Cola suboppositifolia CheekCola sulcata Engl.Cola supfiana Cola takamanda Cola tessmannii Engl. & K.KrauseCola toyota Cola triloba K.Schum.Cola tsandensis Pellegr.Cola uloloma BrenanCola umbratilis Brenan & KeayCola urceolata K.Schum.Cola usambarensis Engl.Cola vandersmisseniana Germ.Cola verticillata Stapf ex A.Chev.Cola welwitschii Exell & Mendonça ex R.Germ.Cola winkleri Engl.Cola zanaga- ''Cola zemagoana''