394 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[December i, 1883. 



practically extinct.* Isolated specimeus can be found 

 on Dodabetta, Naduvatam and AVood plantations, the last 

 survivors of their race. They have died out rapidly ; in 1878, 

 close upon 800 treesof utk-raniha were counted on "Wood 

 plantation, I saw but one moribund specimen. It is, there- 

 fore unnecessary to malce any remarks on their botanical 

 characters ; which is somewhat fortunate as these species 

 are very obscure as to their nature and affinities. 



14. C. carahayenslst "Wedd. — {C, Pahudiana, How.) 

 Several healthy trees of this pretty but useless species 

 are still growing in the earliest-planted plots at Dodabet- 

 ta. Its characteristics are quite well-lniown and its interest 

 to QuinologLsts chieHy historic. Dr. Bidie includes a speci- 

 men (No.. 30) from Naduvatam in his series. 



15. C pitayensis, Wedd..— Of this remarkable species there 

 are some 45 or 50 trees iu a clump near *' the Jail" at 

 Dodabetta. They are very striking from their habit being 

 so unlike all the other cultivated species ; indeed they 

 rather suggest at first a Lauraceous tree or a Symplocos 

 than a Cinchona. The species is but little known to botan- 

 ists, but Howard has given an excellent figure iu his 

 " Quinology" t. 12. f The branches ciurve strongly down- 

 wards for most of their length and then tiuru upwards 

 suddenly at their ends ; here the leaves are crowded, which 

 are stiff, thick and polished, and stand erect with their 

 pointed ends upwards. The trees were past flowering at 

 the time of my visit, and I was unable to examine the 

 corolla, so remarkable for being hairy within ; but the young 

 fruit was characteristic enough, crowned with the persist- 

 ent long, almost setaceous calyx-segments. I was glad to 

 see that some propagation of this species was being under- 

 taken; it appears to have been singularly neglected. It 

 is true we read iu the reports of the late Superintendent 

 of 500 planted out iu 1872 at Dodabetta and 40U at Hooker 

 plantation, and of no less than 4,386 put out in 1S74 at the 

 latter, J but not one of these, 1 beheve, now exists. The 

 tree affords true Pitayo bark ; three different varieties 

 were collected by Mr. Cross, and I noticed among the 

 trees some vju-ymg shghtly from the rest in having shorter 

 and broader leaves. 



16. C. Humholdtiana,'Lamh. — I was enabled to name Colo- 

 nel Beddome's unknown species, the " celebrated C. cri^pa^^ 

 of INIr. Cross (see paragraph 6), from my examination of 

 the material in the London herbaria. The original speci- 

 mens of this species were collected by Pavon ; they are 

 in the British Museum and labelled by him " 0. sp. nova 

 de Jaen de Loxa en Quito." The sheets are named by 

 Lambert 0. Mumholdtiana, a name which he published in 

 his " Illustrations of the genus Cinchona" in 1821, where, 

 however, his description does not perfectly agree with his 

 specimens. What 1 consider to be the same species was 

 also collected by Spruce in August 1856, '■ in Monte Cam- 

 pana prope Tarapoto, Peruvian orientalis" and is nund>ered 

 4832 in that traveller's extensive series of dried specimens. 

 Though Mr. Cross's determination of it as '■ (J. crispa" 

 may be disregarded, yet that he may have collected the 

 seed is evident from the fact that one of the three dried 

 specimens § he brought back with him is this very species. 

 This is ticketed as follows: — "No. 3, C ^j^ccics. In deep 

 ravines on the Sierra de Campana and Koritrocho. This 

 species of ciuchona grows on steep !)anks of ravines in 

 ratlier moist situations it is frequently foimd in the mount- 

 ains of Samora which lie eastward from Losa and is 

 sometimes collected by the wild Indians which traverse 

 that tract of country. This tree grows from 50 — CO feet 

 in height, Oct. 18, 1861, K. 0." It is of this specimen 



* The plantations were, however, still credited with 

 the possession of 1S74 plants on 31st March 1882 (see report 

 1881-82). 



t The figures of C. corymhosa and C. Tiianae (both re- 

 ferred to C. piUiyenfii by Triaua) as reproduced from 

 Karsten in Markham's "Cinchona Species of New Granada" 

 very little resemble the Dodabetta trees as to foliage. 



I Report for 1873-74, paragraph 3. The plantation books 

 ought to give some details as to the precise plots where 

 these were planted. 



^ These specimens, formerly in the possession of Mr. 

 Markham, were presented by him to Kew Herbarium, 

 February 1882, where 1 bad the pleasure of examining 

 tbem. 



that Mr. Markham writes :* " Bark and leaves of C. 

 lucumafolio of Pavon, from Zamora. This is the 'Cascar- 

 illa de hoja do lucma' of the natives." He adds, "Mr. 

 Cross made no attempt to collect the seeds as this species 

 is comparatively worthless ;" but be that as it may, the 

 plant has clearly reached the Nilgiris. 



Colonel Beddome was by no means the first to notice 

 this at Dodabetta.f Specimens are included iu the series- 

 made up by Mr. Mclvor t f or the India Ofbcc in 1873 

 (see Blue Book V., page 91) vvjiere they are numbered 24 

 and called merely " Corky hark." I have examined them 

 in the British Museum duplicate set. 



C. Mntisii, Lamb., appears to differ only in the leaves 

 being smooth above, and probably ought to be combined 

 with the present species. To this is to be referred the 

 figure of C. microjfhyUa in Howard's " Illustrations." t. 17, 

 fig. 1, which plate is a fair representation of the Dodabetta 

 plant with the exception of the slight difference above 

 mentioned. Howard's plate of C. viUotia (111. t. 6) is re- 

 ferred to C. Humholdtiana by Triana (and " C. xillosa, 

 Pav. M.S.S." is certainly quoted by Lambert), but can- 

 not represent that species. 



This plant is clearly a near ally of C carahayensis (Pahud- 

 iana) and is probably equally valueless ; it differs in its 

 smaller calyx, much less conspicuous in fruit, its less hairy 

 capsule, and its smaller thicker leaves which are rounded 

 at the base instead of tapering, and stiffly hairy above 

 as well as beneath even when fully grown ; when di'ied, 

 their margins are strongly reciu'ved. The large develop- 

 ment of cork at Dodabetta is probably an accidental cir- 

 cumstance 



17. <S'a«<rt Fe Bark.— The two surviving plants of this valu- 

 able cinchona are both at Dodabetta, one planted out in 

 the lower part of the North-east side, the other stdl in a 

 pot in the propagating house. They are now 2| years old, 

 and that planted out is about three feet high only. The 

 few leaves they possess are peculiar and appear to indic- 

 ate a species quite unkaown to me. The figure (fortun- 

 ately not coloured) in Howard's " Quinology" t. 14 is a 

 very g od representation of them. Both Weddell and 

 Triana place the "Calisaya of Santa Fe" under 0. lanci- 

 folia ;§ and in default ot further material for comparison, 

 here it must remain for the present. 



18. Carthar/ena Bark. — There are seven plants of this per- 

 manently put out at Dodabetta and two at Naduvatam ; 

 the latter are the more healthy and the larger is about 

 four feet high. Numerous cuttings are in the propagating 

 houses. There is also a fine plant in Sim's Park at Ooon- 

 oor. 



Of the name of this handsome .species I am quite ignor- 

 ant; it has possibly never yet been defined or named. 

 The leaves of seedlings and yonng plants are useless for 

 comparisons, being frequently very different from those of 

 adult trees ; iu theso plants thi y resemble those of rnicrantha 

 more than any other species. The "Hard Carthagena bark" 

 is iisually referred to C. cordifolia, Mutis, a variable spe- 

 cies with a very wide distribution in South America. Mr. 

 Howard has suggested an affiuity with C. jmrpiirea, K. & 

 P.. which, to judge from the description and his plate 

 (Illustrations t. 11) seems to be probable. 



19. C. roiitista. — In paragraph 5, 1 have given a sketch of 

 the opinion which prevailed as to the plants I include 

 under the above name up to the year 1880; and iu portions 



* " Peruvian Bark," p. 338, footnote. I have examined 

 the type specimens of ('. lucvmafolia, Pav.. from Loxa; 

 which is a totally different plant with narrow and perfectly 

 smooth leaves. 



t Mr. Howard, in a notice of Colonel Beddome's report 

 (Pharmaceutical Journal, October 1S81, page 354), says the 

 plant should be V. dccitrrentifofia^'Piiv. 



} It is doubtless the plant alluded to by Mr. Mclvor iu 

 his report for 1869-70 (paragraph 5). " Among our Crowii 

 barks we have this year discovered a very interesting and 

 apparently a new species with soft downy leaves and 

 rough corky bark, but deficient in alkaloid. This plant was 

 raised from the original seeds introduced by Mr. Cross 

 through Mr. Markham, and must have been gathered by 

 accideut'* (Blue Book V, page 6). 



Ji I am unable here to refer to Mr. Howard's paper iu 

 the Bull. Soc. Bot. France, Vol, XXII, on. C lancifolia 

 var. oUoiiga, referring to this plant. 



