Virola

Virola
Virola elongata Illustration 1860
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Magnoliids
Order:	Magnoliales
Family:	Myristicaceae
Genus:	Virola Aubl.
Species
About 67 species, see text.

Virola is a genus of medium-sized trees native to the South American rainforest and closely related to other Myristicaceae, such as nutmeg. Species are known commonly as epená, patricá, or cumala. They have glossy, dark green leaves and clusters of tiny yellow flowers, and may emit a pungent odor.

Traditional use

Several species of this genus have been used to create hallucinogenic snuff powders.^[1]

Chemical constituents

The tops of Virola oleifera have been shown to produce lignan-7-ols and verrucosin that have antifungal action regarding Cladosporium sphaerospermum in doses as low as 25 micrograms. Lignan-7-ols oleiferin-B and oleiferin-G worked for Cladosporium cladosporioides starting as low as 10 micrograms.^[2]

Species

About 67 species, including:^[3]

Virola aequatorialis Virola albidiflora Virola araujovii Virola atopa Virola bicuhyba Virola boliviensis Virola brachycarpa Virola caducifolia Virola calophylla (Spruce) Warb.,[4] Virola calophylloidea Virola carinata Virola coelhoi Virola crebrinervia Virola cuspidata Virola decorticans Virola divergens Virola dixonii Virola duckei Virola elliptica Virola elongata (syn. V. theodora) Virola flexuosa Virola gardneri Virola glaziovii Virola glycycarpa Virola guatemalensis Virola guggnheimii Virola incolor Virola koschnyi Virola kukachkana Virola kwatae Virola laevigata Virola lepidota Virola lieneana Virola lorentensia (or V. loretensis) Virola macrantha Virola macrocarpa A.C. Sm.,[5] Virola malmei Virola marlenei Virola megacarpa A.H. Gentry[6]

Virola melinonii Virola merendonis Virola michelii Heckel,[7] Virola micrantha Virola minutiflora Virola mocoa Virola mollissima Virola multicostata Ducke[8] Virola multiflora (Standl. ) A. C. Sm.,[9] Virola multinervia Virola mycetis Virola nobilis Virola obovata Virola officinalis Virola oleifera Virola panamensis Virola papillosa Virola parvifolia Virola pavonis Virola peruviana Virola polyneura Virola reidii Virola rufula Virola rugulosa Virola schultesii Virola schwackei Virola sebifera Virola sessilis Virola steyermarkii Virola subsessilis Virola surinamensis (Rol. ex Rottb. ) Warb.,[10] Virola theiodora Virola urbaniana Virola venezuelensis Virola venosa (Benth.) Warb.[11] Virola villosa Virola warburgli Virola weberbaueri

Gallery

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  Virola elongata fruit

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  Virola elongata seeds

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  Virola carinata embryo

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  Virola sebifera

See also

• Myristica — some species of this genus have been reclassified into Virola.
• Ayahuasca
• Entheogen
• Psychedelic plants

References

Notes

1. Torres, C. M., et al. (1991). Snuff powders from pre-Hispanic San Pedro de Atacama: Chemical and contextual analysis. Current Anthropology, 640-649.
2. Sartorelli, P. : Young, M.C.M. : Kato, M.J., Antifungal lignans from the arils of Virola oleifera. Phytochemistry-Oxford. Oxford : Elsevier Science Ltd. Mar 1998. v. 47 (6) p. 1003-1006.
3. "Genus Species list for John's species database". www3.isrl.uiuc.edu. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
4. "Virola calophylla information from NPGS/GRIN". www.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2008-04-29.
5. "Virola macrocarpa A.C. Sm.". mobot.mobot.org. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
6. "Virola megacarpa A.H. Gentry". mobot.mobot.org. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
7. "Virola michelii Heckel". mobot.mobot.org. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
8. "Virola multicostata Ducke". mobot.mobot.org. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
9. "Discover Life - Myristicaceae: Virola multiflora (Standl. ) A. C. Sm. - Fruta dorada". www.discoverlife.org. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
10. "Virola surinamensis (Rol. ex Rottb.) Warb.". mobot.mobot.org. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
11. "Virola venosa (Benth.) Warb.". mobot.mobot.org. Retrieved 2008-05-03.

General references

• Jonathan Ott - Shamanic Snuffs or Entheogenic Errhines (2001) ISBN 1-888755-02-4
• Richard Evans Schultes - Plants of the Gods (1992) ISBN 0-89281-979-0
• Erowid Virola Vault

External links

• Sura.ots.ac.cr: Virola koschnyi — photos and info.
• Gardening.eu: Info on Growing Virola