Pointed Cola (Cola acuminata) is a fruit tree from the Cola genus, Sterkuliev subfamily, Malvov family. Its fruits and name gave rise to the famous Coca-Cola brand lemonades. "Coca" - the use of the plant Coca (Erythroxylum coca) in the original composition of the drink, later replaced by caffeine. Cola is the second main ingredient, the pointed cola.
Coca-Cola tree description
The plant prefers a tropical climate, it grows mainly in West Africa. It is also grown in Central America, Brazil, Indonesia.
An evergreen tree with a wide trunk, 15-20 m high. The bark is scaly, flaky. The trunk width reaches 50 cm.
The leaves are alternate, smooth, leathery, oblong-elliptical, with smooth edges and a sharp tip. They are located at the ends of the branches in a bouquet of 5-15 pieces.
Flowers 2 cm in size can be unisexual and bisexual. They have five petals wide apart from each other. The light yellow shade of the flowers contrasts with three red stripes on each petal and an equally red or brownish edge. Collected on branches in paniculate inflorescences.
Fruits are leathery or woody leaflets of dark brown color. It contains 4-5 carpels, of which only 1-2 develop. Inside there are 8-9 large seeds that are used for food and are called "kola nuts".
Cola plant application
The bitter taste of cola seeds gave rise to a large number of carbonated drinks (Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, etc.).
Nuts contain a huge amount of caffeine, 3 times more than coffee beans.
Ground cola seeds are used to prepare preparations in the form of tablets, syrups and chocolate that stimulate the central nervous system. They help to increase endurance and performance during high physical and mental stress.
