The Cantuta flower was considered a sacred species during the Inca Empire, so much so that it was even carried as a representative symbol of each of its achievements and conquests at that time. Due to its high symbolic value in our history and cultural identity.
Among the characteristics that give it a special place in our biodiversity, the following can be mentioned:
● It is a shrub with a very showy appearance and many branches, native to the Andes of Peru and Bolivia. It can reach up to three meters in height.
● Its flowers do not have a particular aroma and grow in the form of clusters, with a tubular structure and a short calyx.
● They are of varied and very striking colors: red, white, yellow and violet. This gives it great ornamental value.
● Its strong and thin branches are used to make baskets.
● In Peru it grows in the regions of Áncash, Apurímac, Cajamarca, Cerro de Pasco, Cuzco, Huánuco, Matucana and Puno, among other places.
● It is a strong species, used to prevent erosion on some slopes.
Some inhabitants of the Andean region use it for therapeutic purposes to combat diarrhea, cough and eye inflammation, as well as for veterinary use.