Desfontainia Ruiz & Pav (Chapico or Michay) is an unusual and fascinating plant, which is endemic in the wild of South American Andes, from southern Chile to Colombia. It belongs to the order Lamiales of the Plantae kingdom. It is genus of the Columelliaceae family, which contains only one specie — Desfontainia spinosa. The related Loganiaceae family includes the plants from which South American poisoned arrows are made.
The genus was named after René Louiche Desfontaines (1750–1833), a French botanist. In 1843, the species of the plant was introduced by an English plant collector William Lobb (1809–1864) in Europe for cultivation. The uses of Desfontainia include ornamental evergreen shrub and for medicinal purposes.
Desfontainia spinosa is a small beautiful evergreen shrub abundant in South America. This species grows from 1 foot to 6 feet in height and spread up to 6 feet (2 m.). The leaves are green to glossy dark and holly-like in appearance. The flowers are tubular in shape, glossy red, and scarlet or orange with yellow tips. The flowering period blooms from August to October. The fruit (or berry) is greenish yellow or white, globose, with glossy seeds. The fruits and the leaves are made into a hallucinogenic tea. According to some medical information, this plant is also used as a psychoactive. In fact, it is being used as a narcotic and folk medicine in southern Chile. In Colombia, shamans of the tribe of Kamsa used Desfontainia spinosa to diagnose disease or “to dream”. However, its chemical constituents are not yet proven. In Chile, Desfontainia spinosa is commonly known as ‘Taique’; and in Colombia, it is called as ‘borrachero’ ( intoxicator). Get a plant orientated custom usb for all your computer documents.
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