Virola calophylla is a species of tree in the family Myristicaceae. It is native to Central America and South America, namely Panama, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia (Department of Amazonas, Department of Vaupés), Ecuador (Napo, Pastaza, Sucumbios) and Peru (Amazonas Region, Loreto Region, Madre de Dios Region, Puno Region, Ucayali Region).[1]

Virola calophylla
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Magnoliids
Order: Magnoliales
Family: Myristicaceae
Genus: Virola
Species:
V. calophylla
Binomial name
Virola calophylla
(Spruce) Warb.[1]
Synonyms
  • Myristica calophylla[2]
  • Virola incolor[2]

The tree grows 5 to 25 metres (16 to 82 ft) tall and it is found in low altitude evergreen forests.[2] The fruit is ellipsoid to ovoid and subglobular, 19 to 32 millimetres (0.75 to 1.26 in) long and 12 to 20 millimetres (0.47 to 0.79 in) in diameter in groups of 1 to 32.[2]

Virola calophylla contains dimethyltryptamine and other tryptamines,[3] and in the Orinoco River region, the Witoto and Bora use it as a snuff.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Virola calophylla". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
  2. ^ a b c d "Plantes et botanique :: Virola calophylla". www.plantes-botanique.be. Archived from the original on 2007-05-19. Retrieved 2008-04-30.
  3. ^ Agurell, S; Holmstedt, B; Lindgren, JE; Schultes, RE (1969). "Alkaloids in certain species of Virola and other South American plants of ethnopharmacologic interest". Acta Chemica Scandinavica. 23 (3): 903–16. doi:10.3891/acta.chem.scand.23-0903. PMID 5806312.