Guarana (Paullinia cupana)
Description
The Paullinia cupana is a climbing shrub of the family Sapindaceae. He is originally from the Amazon, found in Paraguay, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. Its fruit, guarana, is rich in vitamins and stimulants such as caffeine, so it is used for consumption, mainly as a beverage. The fruits have yellow, red or orange rind and when mature they can see the white pulp and its seeds, so that they look like eyes . The seeds contain a substance identical to caffeine, sometimes called guaranine, other stimulants. The fruit of guarana is spherical, blackish and somewhat bright, it is a dehiscent capsule of 3 valves, in whose interior there is only one seed, the capsule once it reaches its full maturity, it opens partially leaving the seed uncovered. Due to its stimulating property, it is used for the manufacture of syrups, bars, powders and sodas. In Brazil it is cultivated in the states of Amazonas and Bahia. Guarana plays an important role in the culture of the Brazilian Tupi Guaraní . The name guaraná is a derivative of the word "wara'ná" that in tupí-guaraní means "fruit like the eyes of the people". These tribes believe that the fruit is magical for the cure of diseases of the intestine and a way to recover strength. They also believe in the myth of the "divine child", who was killed by a snake and his eyes gave life to this plant. In the region near the municipality of Maués , where it is cultivated, the Indians of the saterê-mawé nation have legends about the origin of the plant.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Sapindales
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Family: Sapindaceae
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Genus: Paullinia
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