Coca is a plant.
Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae , native to western South America . The plant is grown as a cash crop in Argentina , Bolivia , Colombia , Ecuador , and Peru , even in areas where its cultivation is unlawful . There are some reports that the plant is being cultivated in the south of Mexico as a cash crop and an alternative to smuggling its recreational product cocaine . The alkaloid content of coca leaves is relatively low , between 0.25 % and 0.77 % . Cocaine . Cocaine is made from the leaves of the coca plant which are mostly grown in South America .