The coca plant comes from the genus Erythroxylacea, these include approximately 290 different types. Some of the most well known are:   

Erythroxylum Coca	Peru, Bolivia & Equador
Erythroxylum Truxillensis	Desert-oases of Peru
Erythroxylum Novogranatense	Colombia and Ecuador
Erythroxylum Cuneatum	Indonesia (Java)

 

These four types are for coca production the most important of which Erythroxylum coca contains the most cocaine alkaloids. The E.Truxillens has the highest levels of all other alkaloids (other than cocaine). A coca plant can become aproximatly 60 years old and it remains productive up to it’s life’s end. She can grow up to 6 meters tall and 9 meters wide, but in most cases will be pruned to about man-hight. A branch of a coca shrub can grow up to 2 meters per year and grow a lot of side branches. Under the correct circumstances a coca shrub can grow exuberantly and carry lots of leaves. 

 

  var. Novograenatense                         var. cuneatum

 

   Erytroxylum Coca                        var. Truxillensis

Climate permitting a coca plant can flower up to four times per year. During the flowering phase she will be covered in small light green/yellowish flowers which have a slight vanilla-ish oder. When polinated each one of these flowers will yield a seed. A seed will start off as a small hard green berry which will eventualy turn red and go soft. When the seed is red you can harvest it from the plant. All you need to do then is clean off the soft red flesh from the berry. The hard seed inside is the bit you eventualy plant into the soil.