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Erythroxylum laurifolium; photograph (c) Augustin Soulard, some rights reserved (CC BY) CC BY(c) Augustin Soulard, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observed growing wild · 2022-05-08

Erythroxylum laurifolium Lam.

Erythroxylaceae · Mauritius, Réunion

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Erythroxylum laurifolium, photograph (c) Augustin Soulard, some rights reserved (CC BY)Erythroxylum laurifolium, photograph (c) Augustin Soulard, some rights reserved (CC BY)Erythroxylum laurifolium, photograph Benoit Gautier, CC BY-SA, via GBIFErythroxylum laurifolium, photograph bruno trebel, CC BY-SA, via GBIFErythroxylum laurifolium, photograph dimityl, CC BY-SA, via GBIFErythroxylum laurifolium, photograph Fabrice DELMONT, CC BY-SA, via GBIF 13 photographs ›
Habitat figures
Cold floor (1 night in 100)
13.8°C
Record low 12.0 °C in 44 years, at a typical spot in the range NASA POWER
Warmest month, mean daily high
25°C
Jan, Feb and Mar at the habitat CHELSA
Rain a year (median across the range)
2,912mm
12 months of 25 mm or more in the median year CHELSA
Open-sky light
24–46DLI
Lowest to highest month (DLI) CHELSA
The year in your months, northern hemisphere
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec
Wet summers: the rain comes June to November (December to May at the habitat), read as a summer growing season. rain rule, CHELSA
Northern hemisphere unless you set your site. The chart is in the habitat's months.

Summary

Erythroxylum laurifolium is a species from the genus Erythroxylum. It was first described by Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck.

Quoted from Wikipedia, "Erythroxylum laurifolium", CC BY-SA 4.0.

About the genus · Erythroxylum

Erythroxylum is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Erythroxylaceae. Many of the approximately 200 species contain the tropane alkaloid cocaine, and two of the species within this genus, Erythroxylum coca and Erythroxylum novogranatense, both native to South America, are the main commercial source of cocaine and of the mild stimulant coca tea. Another species, Erythroxylum vaccinifolium is used as an aphrodisiac in Brazilian drinks and herbal medicine. More on Wikipedia ›

Quoted from Wikipedia, "Erythroxylum", CC BY-SA 4.0.

Cultivation

Seasons

The rain rule reads a summer growing season: 70% of the median year's rain (2,150 mm of 2,843 mm) falls in December to May, warmer than the year (wet-season mean 21.9 °C against a yearly mean of 20.0 °C). Months are the habitat's, southern hemisphere; shifted six months for a northern-hemisphere collection: June to November.

Rain

2,843 mm in the median year at the habitat, 2,150 mm of it December to May. Wettest month February at 579 mm, driest month October at 85 mm. Across the grid cells of the range the year's total runs 1,681 mm to 5,059 mm, the 10th to 90th percentile of each cell's own year. The median of the cells' own yearly totals, 2,912 mm, is the year's rain at the top of the page; the 2,843 mm here is the median year's, the twelve monthly medians added, which the rain rule reads. Habitat calendar, southern hemisphere; median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA.

Light

Open sky over the habitat: 24 to 46 mol/m²/day across the year (daily light integral, median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA; the lowest 10th-percentile month across the cells is 22, the highest 90th-percentile month 47).

Warmth and air
Temperature

Coldest: the 1st-percentile night over 44 years at a typical spot in the range is 13.8 °C, the absolute minimum 12.0 °C, no frost in 44 years (NASA POWER daily minima). Warmest: the 99th-percentile day is 26.9 °C. Monthly means: the coldest month's mean nightly low 14.8 °C in August (across the grid cells of the range 11.7 °C to 19.1 °C), the warmest month's mean daily high 25.1 °C in February (median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA). Cold floor: 13.8 °C, which is the 1st-percentile night over 44 years at a typical spot in the range (NASA POWER).

Humidity

Relative humidity at the habitat: 64 to 69% across the year (monthly means, median year across the grid cells of the range, CHELSA). A figure about the air, saying nothing about how the plant takes water.

How this section is made

Each card states this species' habitat figures with their sources, and what two fixed rules read from them; nothing here says what the plant does, wants or tolerates. The rules · the terms.

Seasons. Read from the median year of CHELSA monthly rainfall and mean temperature across the grid cells of the range: the rain rule takes the smallest set of months carrying 70% of the rain and calls it winter when its mean is more than half a degree below the year's, summer when more than that above, and neither in between; the temperature rule, used only under 120 mm, names the cooler six months when they are at least a degree cooler than the other six. Months are shifted for the other hemisphere only where the temperature curve moves 4 °C or more and the habitat lies 10° or more from the equator. A reading of the curves, not an observation of the plant.

Rain. CHELSA monthly precipitation, median year across the grid cells of the range. The rain that falls where the species is recorded; nothing about how the plant takes water.

Light. CHELSA shortwave radiation at each envelope cell, a daily-mean flux taken to a daily total and converted at 2.07 mol of PAR per MJ. The sky over the habitat, measured; what reaches a plant under a rock, a shrub or a shade cloth is not.

Temperature. NASA POWER daily minima and maxima over 44 years at a typical spot in the range, lapse-corrected +224 m to its elevation; CHELSA monthly means, median year across the grid cells of the range. The cold floor is the 1st-percentile night named in its sentence. Not a measured survival limit for any plant in a pot.

Humidity. CHELSA relative humidity, median year across the grid cells of the range.

Climate across the habitat

Habitat months, southern hemisphere

Habitat climate of Erythroxylum laurifolium through the yearWarmest months January, February and March, mean daily high 25 °C; coldest month August, mean nightly low 14.8 °C; 2,843 mm of rain in the median year (the twelve monthly medians added). Medians across the range, from CHELSA; the extremes at the edge from NASA POWER. Habitat months, southern hemisphere.10°15°20°25°30°26.9° 99th-percentile day, NASA POWER12.0° lowest night in 44 years, NASA POWER°C · day and nightcold quarter02004006008001000mm rainDLI 24–46RH 64–69%JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
day night rain medians and 10th–90th percentile across 41 habitat cells, CHELSA cold quarter: the three months around the coldest month's mean nightly low extremes over 44 years at a typical spot in the range, from NASA POWER, marked at the edge, in no month DLI, mol/m²/dayRH %each on its own scale
Figures by month
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Day °C25 / 22–2725 / 22–2725 / 22–2724 / 21–2622 / 19–2520 / 17–2319 / 16–2220 / 16–2220 / 17–2322 / 18–2423 / 20–2524 / 21–27
Night °C21 / 18–2421 / 18–2421 / 18–2420 / 17–2318 / 15–2216 / 13–2015 / 12–1915 / 12–1915 / 12–1917 / 14–2018 / 15–2220 / 17–23
Rain mm443 / 283–632579 / 358–830424 / 241–660275 / 154–558184 / 108–395136 / 73–305139 / 65–326118 / 60–270106 / 60–23285 / 51–199109 / 69–239245 / 169–399
DLI44 / 42–4540 / 38–4237 / 35–3932 / 30–3427 / 24–3024 / 22–2725 / 23–2830 / 28–3337 / 35–3942 / 41–4446 / 45–4745 / 44–46
RH %68 / 64–7469 / 65–7568 / 65–7467 / 64–7366 / 63–7264 / 61–7064 / 61–7164 / 61–7064 / 61–7065 / 61–7165 / 62–7167 / 63–72
How this section is made
Each figure is the median across the 41 grid cells holding the 86 in-range records, with the 10th–90th percentile span across those cells after the slash where it differs. A dash is a month one or more of those cells has no figure for in the grid (a variable CHELSA does not carry there), so no median is taken rather than one over fewer cells. Extremes and elevation were read at a typical spot in the range, cell 2220:4706 (-21.025, 55.325). Over 44 years there: absolute minimum 12.0 °C, 1st-percentile night 13.8 °C, 99th-percentile day 26.9 °C. Normals: CHELSA V2.1 1981–2010 climatology, 0.05° cells (each the mean of ~36 1 km pixels). Across the range: median and 10th–90th percentile of each month across the 41 distinct grid cells holding 86 of the 86 in-range records; extremes and elevation at the typical cell 2220:4706 (its coldest month's mean nightly low nearest the median across cells); its position is the cell centre. Extremes: NASA POWER (MERRA-2) daily 1981–2024, cell -21.00_55.625, lapse-corrected +224 m at 6.5 °C/km. Elevation: ETOPO 2022, 757 m (cell mean).

Natural habitat

Native range as published by WCVP; the marker is where the records are densest and decides nothing: the climate was read across the cells of the in-range records placed well enough to read one, not at the marker.
Openly licensed records inside the range, framed on where they fall.
NativeMauritius, Réunion · regions are the level-3 units of the World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, as Kew's World Checklist records ranges, some under historical names such as Yugoslavia or Czechoslovakia (how).
Map marker-21.223, 55.559 · in the densest population, 88 records (93% of those in range)
Kew's description“shrub or tree” · “wet tropical” · quoted from WCVP, RBG Kew (CC BY 4.0); not derived here
Evidence usedThe map marker rests on all 95 georeferenced records inside the native range; the climate across the range on the 86 of them placed to within 10 km; the map shows only the 85 openly licensed ones, which alone would put the marker 2 km away. 4 records outside the WCVP native range not used. 9 in-range records are placed to worse than 10 km, or with no stated accuracy (admitted only as a person's observation to three decimals), and stay on the map but off the climate.
How this section is made
The map marker: the openly licensed record nearest the middle of the densest 1° population of the 95 in-range records; it decides nothing. Records outside the native range, living specimens and records marked introduced are not used; which records count.

Photographs

Erythroxylum laurifolium, photograph 1did not loadErythroxylum laurifolium, photograph 2did not loadErythroxylum laurifolium, photograph 3did not loadErythroxylum laurifolium, photograph 4did not loadErythroxylum laurifolium, photograph 5did not loadErythroxylum laurifolium, photograph 6did not load

Photographs: (c) Augustin Soulard, some rights reserved (CC BY) (2); Benoit Gautier, CC BY-SA, via GBIF; bruno trebel, CC BY-SA, via GBIF; dimityl, CC BY-SA, via GBIF; Fabrice DELMONT, CC BY-SA, via GBIF.

Similar habitat climate The 6 nearest by mean daily high, mean nightly low and rain, month by month. How.

Pittosporum senacia Pittosporum senacia Cheesewood Photo: CC BY, yellowplantIxora borboniae Ixora borboniae Rubiaceae Photo: CC BY-SA, cedric nazePiper borbonense Piper borbonense Madagascan Wild Pepper Photo: CC BY, yellowplantMimusops balata Mimusops balata Mauritius milkberry Photo: CC BY, Flavien SaboureauIndigofera ammoxylon Indigofera ammoxylon Fabaceae Photo: CC BY-SA, justine decrooHyophorbe indica Hyophorbe indica Palmiste Poison Photo: CC BY, Flavien Saboureau

Other Erythroxylum 11 in the reference

Erythroxylum areolatum Erythroxylum areolatum Swamp-redwood Photo: CC BY-SA, Kurt MillerErythroxylum argentinum Erythroxylum argentinum Erythroxylaceae Photo: CC BY, aacocucciErythroxylum brevipes Erythroxylum brevipes Brisselet Photo: CC BY, Alex DoyleErythroxylum coca Erythroxylum coca Coca Photo: CC BY, Danna Lizeth Guevara PrietoErythroxylum cuneatum Erythroxylum cuneatum Erythroxylaceae Photo: CC BY, pbsgErythroxylum emarginatum Erythroxylum emarginatum African Coca-tree Photo: CC BY, i_c_riddellErythroxylum hypericifolium Erythroxylum hypericifolium Erythroxylaceae Photo: CC BY-SA, Augustin SoulardErythroxylum microphyllum Erythroxylum microphyllum Erythroxylaceae Photo: CC BY, Rafael TosiErythroxylum monogynum Erythroxylum monogynum Red Cedar Photo: CC BY, Suhel QuaderErythroxylum novogranatense Erythroxylum novogranatense Colombian coca Photo: CC0, author not stated Erythroxylum sinense Erythroxylaceae

Names & registers

Also known as Roelana laurifolia. (GBIF Backbone)

GBIFPOWOIPNIWFOWikidataWikipediaiNaturalist

The record

Family
Erythroxylaceae
Described by
Lam.
Native to
Mauritius, Réunion
Wild records
95 in range · 85 open

Every figure here is derived from public data by a stated rule and names its source; nothing about this species is written for its page by a person or by AI, apart from the marked, credited quotations. How →

Where this page came from built 2026-10-22
GBIF species record gbif.species answeredasked 2026-10-22
GBIF synonyms gbif.synonyms answeredasked 2026-10-22
GBIF common names gbif.vernacular answeredasked 2026-10-22names fetched 2026-10-22
WCVP native range wcvp.distribution answeredas of 2026-06-04
GBIF occurrence records gbif.occurrences answeredas of 2026-10-21GBIF occurrence download https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.hbdw64, of 2026-10-21; 4 records within 1 km of a botanic garden, herbarium or zoo left out (4 at a botanic garden or arboretum; Wikidata's list)
Habitat climate climate answeredasked 2026-10-22
Daily extremes (NASA POWER) climate.extremes answeredasked 2026-10-22NASA POWER (MERRA-2) daily 1981–2024, cell -21.00_55.625, lapse-corrected +224 m at 6.5 °C/km
Wikidata wikidata answeredasked 2026-10-22
Wikipedia wikipedia answeredasked 2026-10-22
iNaturalist photographs, wild inat.photos.wild answeredasked 2026-10-22from iNaturalist's open data of 2026-09-27: research-grade observations with an open-licence photograph, the 24 whose photographs iNaturalist received last (the open data holds no votes); filled 2026-10-22
iNaturalist photographs, cultivated inat.photos.cultivated not asked
GBIF media gbif.media answeredasked 2026-10-22
Wikimedia Commons commons answeredasked 2026-10-22
OpenAlex papers openalex not askednot yet asked for this reference; a later fill takes the papers from OpenAlex's snapshot

Every source is recorded as having answered, reported nothing, refused, failed, not been asked, or answered twice where one answer is taken (“not taken: two items answered”), and, for a source asked when this page was built, when: the figures are as the source held them that day; a source read from a file (Kew's World Checklist, a GBIF download) says "as of" the file's day instead; a row carried from an earlier build of the page names that build instead. Only “nothing to report” is ever shown as an absence. Records came from 11 datasets via GBIF.org; each carries its own licence.

Cultifolio

Opening your plants…