Turnera diffusa

"Damiana" redirects here. For the restaurant in Mexico, see Damiana (restaurant).

Turnera diffusa
Turnera diffusa var. aphrodisiaca
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Passifloraceae
Genus: Turnera
Species:
T. diffusa
Binomial name
Turnera diffusa
Varieties[2]

T. d. var. aphrodisiaca (G.H.Ward) Urb.
T. d. var. diffusa

Synonyms[3]
List
    • Bohadschia humifusa C.Presl
    • Bohadschia microphylla Griseb.
    • Triacis microphylla (Desv.) Griseb.
    • Turnera aphrodisiaca Ward
    • Turnera diffusa var. aphrodisiaca (Ward) Urb.
    • Turnera humifusa Endl. ex Walp.
    • Turnera microphylla Desv.
    • Turnera pringlei Rose
Turnera diffusa var. aphrodisiaca foliage and inflorescence
A bottle of Damiana liqueur. The shape of the bottle is modeled after that of a pregnant mother, a reference to Daminana's supposed aphrodisiac effect.

Turnera diffusa, known as damiana,[4] is a shrub native to southern Texas in the United States,[5] Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. It belongs to the family Passifloraceae.[2]

Damiana is a relatively small, woody shrub that produces small, aromatic flowers. It blossoms in early to late summer, followed by fruits that taste similar to figs. The shrub is said to have a strong spice-like odor somewhat like chamomile, due to the aromatic compounds present in the plant.[6]

  1. ^ "Turnera diffusa". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
  2. ^ a b "Turnera diffusa". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2012-01-03.
  3. ^ "Turnera diffusa Willd. ex Schult". Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  4. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Turnera diffusa​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
  5. ^ Everitt, J. H.; Dale Lynn Drawe; Robert I. Lonard (2002). Trees, Shrubs, and Cacti of South Texas. Texas Tech University Press. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-89672-473-0.
  6. ^ Gildemeister, Eduard; Friedrich Hoffmann (1922). Edward Kremers (ed.). The Volatile Oils. Vol. 3 (2 ed.). Wiley. p. 183.