Taxon:  Cola nitida (Vent.) Schott & Endl.



Summary
Genus:
Cola
Family:
Malvaceae
Subfamily:
Sterculioideae
Nomen number:
101986
Place of publication:
Melet. bot. 33.  1832
Verified:
11/06/1985 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
7 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Sterculia nitida Vent.

No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. Abbiw, D. K. 1990. Useful plants of Ghana Intermediate Technology Publications & Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
  3. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  4. Backer, C. A. & R. C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Jr. 1963-1968. Flora of Java. Note: cultivated
  5. Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
  6. Duke, J. A. 1989. Handbook of Nuts CRC Press.
  7. Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 2:1317.
  8. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  9. Hackett, C. & J. Carolane. 1982. Edible Horticultural Crops Academic Press.
  10. Keay, R. W. J. & F. N. Hepper. 1953-1972. Flora of west tropical Africa, ed. 2.
  11. Keay, R. W. J. et al. 1960-1964. Nigerian trees.
  12. Kunkel, G. 1984. Plants for human consumption
  13. Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
  14. Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
  15. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
  16. Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
  17. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  18. Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
  19. Vossen, H. A. M. van der & M. Wessel, eds. 2000. Stimulants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 16:78-79.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishbitter cola  1Abbiw, D. K. 1990. Useful plants of Ghana Intermediate Technology Publications & Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
EnglishGbanja kola  1Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Englishkola  1Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Frenchkolatier  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Germanbittere Kolanuß  2Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 2:1317.
GermanKolabaum  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanishcolatero  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Swedishbitterkola  2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNotecitation_id
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaCôte D'Ivoire  0
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGhana  0
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGuinea  0
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaLiberia  0
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSierra Leone  0
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaTogo  0
2Cultivated    also cult.0
Native
Africa
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Côte D'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo
Cultivated (also cult.)

Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Food additivesflavoring Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Human foodbeverage base Kunkel, G. 1984. Plants for human consumption
Human foodbeverage base Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Human foodbeverage base Vossen, H. A. M. van der & M. Wessel, eds. 2000. Stimulants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 16:78-79.
Materialswood Vossen, H. A. M. van der & M. Wessel, eds. 2000. Stimulants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 16:78-79.
Medicinesfolklore Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Medicinesfolklore Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicinesfolklore Vossen, H. A. M. van der & M. Wessel, eds. 2000. Stimulants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 16:78-79.
Medicinesfolklore McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Socialmasticatory Vossen, H. A. M. van der & M. Wessel, eds. 2000. Stimulants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 16:78-79.
Socialreligious/secularnuts are used in ceremonies\Vossen, H. A. M. van der & M. Wessel, eds. 2000. Stimulants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 16:78-79.
Socialstimulant Vossen, H. A. M. van der & M. Wessel, eds. 2000. Stimulants. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 16:78-79.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=101986. Accessed 12 May 2026.