Virola

{{Automatic taxobox

|image = Virola koschnyi 1zz.jpg

|image_caption = Canopy of Virola koschnyi

|taxon = Virola

|authority = Aubl. (1775)

|subdivision_ranks = Species

|subdivision = 71; see text

|subdivision_ref = [https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:27256-1 Virola Aubl.] Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 9 March 2024.

}}

Virola is a genus of flowering plants in the nutmeg family, Myristicaceae. It includes medium-sized trees native to rainforests of the tropical Americas, ranging from southern Mexico to Bolivia and southern Brazil. 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.Torres, C. M., et al. (1991). [http://www2.ups.edu/faculty/bdasher/Chem361/Review_Articles_files/Snuff%20Powders,%20Schultes.pdf "Snuff powders from pre-Hispanic San Pedro de Atacama: Chemical and contextual analysis"]. Current Anthropology, 640–649. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309025211/http://www2.ups.edu/faculty/bdasher/Chem361/Review_Articles_files/Snuff%20Powders,%20Schultes.pdf |date=2016-03-09 }}

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.Sartorelli, P.; Young, M.C.M.; Kato, M.J., [http://grande.nal.usda.gov/ibids/index.php?mode2=detail&origin=ibids_references&therow=445174 "Antifungal lignans from the arils of Virola oleifera"]{{Dead link|date=April 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}. Phytochemistry-Oxford. Oxford : Elsevier Science Ltd. March 1998. v. 47 (6) p. 1003–1006.

Species

71 species are accepted.

Virola aequatorialis {{small|Muriel & Balslev}}
Virola aguarunana {{small|D.Santam.}}
Virola albidiflora {{small|Ducke}}
Virola allenii {{small|D.Santam. & Aguilar}}
Virola alvaroperezii {{small|D.Santam.}}
Virola amistadensis {{small|D.Santam.}}
Virola bicuhyba {{small|(Schott) Warb.}}
Virola bombuscaroensis {{small|D.Santam.}}
Virola caducifolia {{small|W.A.Rodrigues}}
Virola calimensis {{small|D.Santam.}}
Virola calophylla {{small|(Spruce) Warb.}}{{GRIN | Virola calophylla | 400361 | access-date = 2008-04-29}}
Virola calophylloidea {{small|Markgr.}}
Virola carinata {{small|(Spruce ex Benth.) Warb.}}
Virola chrysocarpa {{small|D.Santam. & Aguilar}}
Virola coelhoi {{small|W.A.Rodrigues}}
Virola cogolloi {{small|D.Santam.}}
Virola crebrinervia {{small|Ducke}}
Virola cumala {{small|D.Santam.}}
Virola cuspidata {{small|(Benth.) Warb.}}
Virola decorticans {{small|Ducke}}
Virola divergens {{small|Ducke}}
Virola dixonii {{small|Little}}
Virola duckei {{small|A.C.Sm.}}
Virola elongata {{small|(Benth.) Warb.}}
Virola flexuosa {{small|A.C.Sm.}}
Virola fosteri {{small|D.Santam.}}
Virola gardneri {{small|(A.DC.) Warb.}}
Virola guatemalensis {{small|(Hemsl.) Warb.}}
Virola guggenheimii {{small|W.A.Rodrigues}}
Virola koschnyi {{small|Warb.}}
Virola kwatae {{small|Sabatier}}
Virola laevigata {{small|Standl.}}
Virola lieneana {{small|Paula & E.P.Heringer}}
Virola loretensis {{small|A.C.Sm.}}
Virola macrocarpa {{small|A.C.Sm.}}
Virola malmei {{small|A.C.Sm.}}
Virola marleneae {{small|W.A.Rodrigues}}
Virola megacarpa {{small|A.H.Gentry}}
Virola michelii {{small|Heckel}}
Virola micrantha {{small|A.C.Sm.}}
Virola minutiflora {{small|Ducke}}
Virola mollissima {{small|(Poepp. ex A.DC.) Warb.}}
Virola montana {{small|D.Santam.}}
Virola multicostata {{small|Ducke}}
Virola multiflora {{small|(Standl.) A.C.Sm.}}
Virola multinervia {{small|Ducke}}
Virola nobilis {{small|A.C.Sm.}}
Virola obovata {{small|Ducke}}
Virola officinalis {{small|Warb.}}
Virola otobifolia {{small|D.Santam.}}
Virola parkeri {{small|D.Santam. & Lagom.}}
Virola parvifolia {{small|Ducke}}
Virola pavonis {{small|(A.DC.) A.C.Sm.}}
Virola peruviana {{small|(A.DC.) Warb.}}
Virola polyneura {{small|W.A.Rodrigues}}
Virola reidii {{small|Little}}
Virola rugulosa {{small|(Spruce) Warb.}}
Virola sanguinea {{small|D.Santam.}}
Virola schultesii {{small|A.C.Sm.}}
Virola sebifera {{small|Aubl.}}
Virola sessilis {{small|(A.DC.) Warb.}}
Virola steyermarkii {{small|W.A.Rodrigues}}
Virola subsessilis {{small|(Benth.) Warb.}}
Virola surinamensis {{small|(Rol. ex Rottb.) Warb.}}
Virola theiodora {{small|(Spruce ex Benth.) Warb.}} (synonym Virola rufula {{small|Warb.}})
Virola tuckerae {{small|D.Santam. & Lagom.}}
Virola urbaniana {{small|Warb.}}
Virola venosa {{small|(Benth.) Warb.}}
Virola villosa {{small|(Benth.) Warb.}}
Virola weberbaueri {{small|Markgr.}}
Virola yasuniana {{small|D.Santam.}}

Gallery

File:Virola elongata fruit.jpg|Virola elongata fruit

File:Virola elongata seeds.jpg|Virola elongata seeds

File:Virola carinata embryo.jpg|Virola carinata embryo

File:Virola sebifera.jpg|Virola sebifera

File:Virola surinamensis 2.jpg|Virola surinamensis

Legal status

=United States=

==Louisiana==

Except for ornamental purposes, growing, selling or possessing Virola spp. is prohibited by Louisiana State Act 159.

References

=Notes=

=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}}
[http://www.erowid.org/plants/virola/virola.shtml Erowid Virola Vault]

External links

{{Commons category-inline|Virola|Virola}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20111003163708/http://sura.ots.ac.cr/local/florula3/species.php?key_species_code=LS001443&key_family=Myristicaceae&key_genus=Virola&specie_name=koschnyi Sura.ots.ac.cr: Virola koschnyi] — photos and info.
[https://web.archive.org/web/20090622101624/http://www.gardening.eu/arc/plants/Aromatic-plants/Virola-theiodora-Spruce-ex-Benth.-Warb/72884/index_a.asp Gardening.eu: Info on Growing Virola]