sooner — becomes a rich brownish red. The local name of this 
tree in Spanish is cumala blanca; the Boras call it ko-de-ko, 
apparently a generic term for Virola. 
Several other species of Virola were indicated by these 
Boras, and paste was prepared from them. It was obvious that 
there was some confusion as a result of discontinuation of the 
native use of Virola in witchcraft. The species indicated were 
Virola surinamensis (Rol.) Warburg (cumala colorada) 
(Plowman, Schultes et Tovar 7260) and V. loretensis A. C. 
Smith (Plowman, Schultes et Tovar 7259). 
At the Bora town of Tierra Firme on the Rio Ampiyacu, the 
species indicated as the basis for the inebriating prepara- 
tion were: Virola Pavonis (DC.) A.C. Smith (Plowman, 
Schultes et Tovar 7091) and V. elongata (Plowman, Schultes et 
Tovar 7092). The very ‘‘strongest’’, these natives indicated, is 
represented by Plowman, Schultes et Tovar 7094, a sterile 
collection which we cannot identify and which may be an 
undescribed species of Virola. At Tierra Firme, Virola calo- 
phylloidea Markgraf (Plowman, Schultes et Tovar 7093) and 
Osteophloeum platyspermum (DC.) Warburg (Plowman, 
Schultes et Tovar 7095) were definitely indicated as ‘‘cumalas’”’ 
which are not employed in the elaboration of the narcotic 
paste. 
Amongst the Witotos, who live in the relatively new settle- 
ment of Puca Urquillo, near the mouth of the Rio Ampiyacu, on 
the other hand, a medicine man pointed out two species of 
Virola as possible sources of the hallucinogenic drug, even 
though he no longer knew the method of preparing the paste. 
These two species are: Virola elongata, of the forest well 
above flood level (Plowman, Tovar et Schultes 6920, 6595), and 
V. surinamensis, common along the deeply flooded banks of 
rivers and creeks as well as on higher level, known as cumala 
(Plowman, Tovar et Schultes 6688, 6920); the Witoto name for 
both kinds is vo0-koo’-na. We believe that our informant was 
confused, and, that actually, the Witotos formerly used only 
Virola elongata. 
Very significantly, these Witotos pointed out /ryanthera 
macrophylla (Benth.) Warburg (Plowman, Schultes et Tovar 
69/9) as also a source of the narcotic paste. This report repre- 
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