GrimReaper at 07:44, 11 March 2015

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<td valign="top" width="50%"><strong>Synonyms</strong>
Gomortega nitida Ruiz et Pavon

This tall tree, the only species in the Family
Gomortegaceae (related to the Family Lauraceae),
is endemic to southern Chile. The Mapuche
Indians call it keule, queule, queuli (pronounced
kay-ulay), linge, or hualhual (literally "vicinity")
and may once have used it as a psychoactive
substance. The round fruits have inebriating
effects, especially when fresh, and may even be
hallucinogenic, possibly as a result of the essential oils they contain (Schultes and Farnsworth 1982,
180). The opposite lanceolate leaves are said to
contain an essential oil (Schultes and Hofmann
1980,334). A number of derivatives of methoxylated
coumarins have been detected (D. McKenna
1995, 101 ). Chemical studies of the fruits have
not yet been conducted (Ott 1993,408).
Unfortunately, this fruit tree is very rare. It is
found only in a single one-hundred-square-mile
expanse (Schultes and Hofmann 1980, 334) in
the coastal area between Maule and Arauco, somewhat
south of Concepcion (Mosbach 1992, 79).
The tree appears to be on the brink of extinction.
The plant was first described by the Spanish
botanist Don Hipolito Ruiz, who encountered it
on a 1777-1788 expedition to Peru and Chile. He
reported that the leaves have a sour-astringent
taste and, when chewed, stick to the teeth as a
result of their resin content. Rubbed between the
fingers, they exude a scent reminiscent of that of
rosemary and turpentine. "The beautiful fruits are
as large as small chicken eggs, are shiny, have a
yellow color, and invite one to eat them. But you
will get a headache if you eat too many of them"
(Schultes 1980,97).
The yellow fruits contain an extremely hard
stone. They ripen toward the end of April and are
used to make marmalade (Donoso Zegers 1995,
94). They are regarded as culinary delicacies. A
fishing village of the Mapuche ("earthlings"), on
the coast some 50 km north of Valdivia, is named
Queule after this mysterious tree. None of its
residents seems to have any knowledge of the tree
or of its purported psychoactive use. The fruits
may formerly have been used in the preparation of
chicha; for this reason, they are still reputed to be
psychoactive.</td>
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