VERNACULAR NAMES: 
cacahuaxochitl; cacaoxochitl; cacauaxochitl; canela; flor de cacao; madre 
de cacao; rosa de cacao; rosita de cacao; tepecacao. 
Quararibea funebris occurs in Mexico (Puebla, Vera 
Cruz and Oaxaca) and Guatemala. Its range has erron- 
eously been stated to include British Honduras, Hondu- 
ras, Costa Rica and El Salvador. This extension of range 
is attributable to the misidentification of specimens from 
these countries. Many of the specimens which have been 
referred to Quararibea funebris are sterile; those which 
are fertile are often only in fruit. Fortunately, however, 
it is not difficult to ascertain whether or not a fruiting 
specimen represents Quararibea funebris, for this species 
is the only reputedly 4-locular member of the genus, the 
others having two locules. The following collections: 
Brenes 19247 (Costa Rica), Heyder 2 (British Honduras), 
Record & Kuylen H66 (Honduras), Renson 318 (Kl Sal- 
vador), Schipp 407 (British Honduras), and Standley & 
Valerio 46611 (Costa Rica) have been responsible for the 
erroneous extension of the range of Quararibea funebris 
southeast of Guatemala. None of these collections can be 
referred to Quararibea funebris. Hemsley (Biol. Centr. - 
Am. 1 (1879-1888) 127) has cited a collection (ayes 
s.n.) from San Salvador as representing Quararibea fune- 
bris, but it would appear to represent another species. 
The species concepts of Quararibea have been poorly 
understood and very loosely applied, even in very recent 
work. 
Bakhuisen van den Brink (loc. cit. 209) states that 
Quararibea funebris grows also in Brazil, but he cites no 
specimens with which to authenticate such an extraordi- 
nary occurrence. ‘This extension of range is open to very 
serious doubt. 
The type of Quararibea funebris is probably not ex- 
tant. Many of the Llave plants have been lost or de- 
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