Turbina Plant Genus
qiazhan English name: Turbina
Sub Title:
Turbina, a genus of some 15 species of plants, native in tropical America and Southeast Asia, belonging to the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae). Of special interest is the woody stemmed perennial climber known to the ancient Aztecs as ololiuqui (Turbina corymbosa), the brown seeds of which were used by priests to induce visions.
The plant, native in tropical Mexico, has stalked, heart-shaped leaves (5 cm [2 inches] long), from the axils of which clusters of white, funnel-shaped flowers are produced. It is known among the Zapotec Indians as badoh and elsewhere as loquetico (“little crazy one”). The seeds contain derivatives of the hallucinogenic drugs d-lysergic and d-isolysergic acids, both related to LSD.
