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taique

Scientific Name: Desfontainia

Family: Loganiaceae

Category: Dicot

Growth:

Duration:

Other Names:

       

Desfontainia spinosa

Desfontainia spinosa, also known as Chilean Holly, Michay, Chapico, or Taique, is an evergreen shrub appreciated for both its ornamental and medicinal uses.

Considerations for Pets

  • Desfontainia spinosa is a shrub with rigid leaves.

Considerations for Children

  • Desfontainia spinosa is a shrub with rigid leaves.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Scientific Name: Desfontainia spinosa Ruiz &amp Pav.
  • Common Names: Chilean Holly, Michay, Chapico, Taique, Borrachero (in Colombia)
  • Family: The text identifies it as a dicot, but does not explicitly mention the family.

Distribution and Habitat

  • Native to South America, specifically Chile and southern Colombia.
  • Common in the Andean forests, growing from the Maule region to Magallanes.

Morphological Characteristics

  • Evergreen shrub, growing to approximately 2.5 meters (8 feet) tall and 1.5 meters (5 feet) wide.
  • Has rigid, shiny leaves.
  • The plant is slow-growing.

Traditional and Medicinal Uses

  • Reported to be used as an entheogen in Chile and southern Colombia.
  • In Colombia, shamans of the Kamsa tribe use a tea made from the leaves for diagnosing diseases.