Cola nitida (nut)

Nomenclature

Cola nitida (Vent.) A. Chev.   Sterculiaceae  
Syn. Sterculia nitida Vent.  
Standardized common name (English): cola

Botanical Voucher Specimen

Cola nitida A.Chev. Source: Images courtesy of the C.V. Starr Virtual Herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden	Cola nitida A.Chev Source: Images courtesy of the C.V. Starr Virtual Herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden

Organoleptic Characteristics

Odor nutmeg- or rose-like, taste aromatic, astringent. Source: Culbreth, D. (1917) A Manual of Materia Media and Pharmacology, 6th ed.

Macroscopic Characteristics

Plants: Tree 15-20 M. (50-65°) high, smooth stem, leaves 15-20 Cm. (6-8') long, lanceolate-ovate, acuminate, flowers, staminate and pistillate, yellowish, fruit yellowish-brown, 5 segments, rough, woody, follicle 10-13 Cm. (4-5') long, each segment 1-3-seeded; seed 3-4 Cm. (1 1/5 - 1 3/5') long, 2-3 Cm. (4/5 - 1 1/5') thick and wide, oblong-ovate somewhat flattened or angular from mutual pressure, rounded on one side, and this irregularly infolded upon the other, brownish, mottled with blackish spots, yellowish-white inside, cotyledons of different size, thick, variously bent. Source: Culbreth, D. (1917) A Manual of Materia Media and Pharmacology, 6th ed. Source: PlantaPhile Source: PlantaPhile

Microscopic Characteristics

Reddish polygonal cells filled with starch granules observed at 400x with Acidified Chloral Hydrate Glycerol Solution. Source: Elan M. Sudberg, Alkemist Laboratories	Starch granules with concentric striations and a stellate, eccentric hilum seen under polarized light observed at 400x with EtOH + glycerin + IKI + chloral hydrate. Source: Elan M. Sudberg, Alkemist Laboratories