Zornia latifolia
Encyclopedia
Zornia latifolia is a perennial
herb, with little yellow flowers. And, its stem is 20 to 50 cm long, glabrous or pubescent, with a prostrate growth habit and intense branching.
It is known to have psychoactive effects, and is often part of herbal spice
or fake cannabis mixtures.
, Argentina
, Boliva, Brazil
, Ecuador
, Guyana
, Paraguay
, Peru
, Suriname
, Uruguay
and Venezuela
. It has also been naturalized in some parts of west Africa. It is a perennial, tap-rooted herb with intense branching.
It is a plant well suited to hot temperatures, and it has little shade tolerance. It does best in a well-drained acidic soil, and has been known to have some soil renewing qualities. It does is not entirely dependent on cross pollination, giving it some pest resistance, however, it is prone to contracting such diseases as blackmold and scab.
it has become very common for people to smoke the seeds of the Zornia Latifolia plant, as they produce a mild euphoric effect. In Europe
, America
and Canada
, Zornia has become a popular ingredient in herbal spice and smokeable incense mixtures as a form of fake cannabis, to try to evade the current federal restrictions on safer herbs such as cannabis sativa.
Zornia latifolia has not been subject to empirical scientific studies, though many have reported effects such as: mild Euphoria
, narcotic
effects, visual changes and mild sedative
effects. Not enough research has been done on Zornia Latifolia to test for toxicity.
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
herb, with little yellow flowers. And, its stem is 20 to 50 cm long, glabrous or pubescent, with a prostrate growth habit and intense branching.
It is known to have psychoactive effects, and is often part of herbal spice
Spice
A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...
or fake cannabis mixtures.
Description
Zornia latifolia is a plant native to South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Boliva, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. It has also been naturalized in some parts of west Africa. It is a perennial, tap-rooted herb with intense branching.
It is a plant well suited to hot temperatures, and it has little shade tolerance. It does best in a well-drained acidic soil, and has been known to have some soil renewing qualities. It does is not entirely dependent on cross pollination, giving it some pest resistance, however, it is prone to contracting such diseases as blackmold and scab.
Recreational uses
In BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
it has become very common for people to smoke the seeds of the Zornia Latifolia plant, as they produce a mild euphoric effect. In Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Zornia has become a popular ingredient in herbal spice and smokeable incense mixtures as a form of fake cannabis, to try to evade the current federal restrictions on safer herbs such as cannabis sativa.
Zornia latifolia has not been subject to empirical scientific studies, though many have reported effects such as: mild Euphoria
Euphoria
Euphoria is an emotional and mental state defined as a sense of great elation and well being.Euphoria may also refer to:* Euphoria , a genus of scarab beetles* Euphoria, a genus name previously used for the longan and other trees...
, narcotic
Narcotic
The term narcotic originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties. In the United States of America it has since become associated with opioids, commonly morphine and heroin and their derivatives, such as hydrocodone. The term is, today, imprecisely...
effects, visual changes and mild sedative
Sedative
A sedative or tranquilizer is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement....
effects. Not enough research has been done on Zornia Latifolia to test for toxicity.
General references
- A. Rees, Cycl. 39: Zornia no. 4. 1819
- USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Data from 07-Oct-06].
External links
- plants.usda.gov
- www.ars-grin.gov
- www.fao.org
- www.tropicalforages.info
- http://www.tropicalforages.info/key/Forages/Media/Html/Zornia_latifolia.htm