in other ways in his recent Plants probably utilized by the 
Old Empire Maya of Petén and adjacent lowlands. 
It is interesting to note in passing that, because of the 
verticillate condition of the branching of species of Quar- 
aribea, the young shoots of these trees are used in many 
parts of Central America and the West Indies in the 
manufacture of the frothing-sticks or molinillos with 
which chocolate drinks are beaten. There are reports of 
this use of Quararibea from Mexico (in Contrib. U.S. 
Nat. Herb, 23, 3 (1926) 787-788), Costa Rica (Plantas 
usuales de Costa Rica (1908) 115), and other places in 
Middle America. Even in Puerto Rico and the Virgin 
Islands, Quararibea turbinata Poiret is known as the 
‘*swizzle-stick tree’’ (Britton & Wilson: Sci. Surv. Porto 
Rico & Virgin Islands, 5, 4 (1924) 569). Because of this 
extensive use, a number of the vernacular names of the 
trees refer to frothing-sticks: molinillo, batidor, ete. The 
name of one species is said (Record, /oc. cit. 20) to be 
cinco-dedos (‘‘five tingers’’), likewise in reference to the 
interesting verticillate branching. 
An examination of other vernacular names of Quara- 
ribea trees and their flowers should prove of interest. It 
is indeed significant that the common names are so in- 
extricably associated with cacao. Quararibea does not 
resemble Theobroma, although the two genera belong to 
related families. Nor does Theobroma possess the charac- 
teristic odor of Quararibea. It seems probable, then, 
that the association has arisen either from the use of 
Quararibea flowers to spice chocolate drinks or from the 
widespread utilization of Quararibea twigs in the manu- 
facture of frothing-sticks for making chocolate drinks. 
A few examples will illustrate the extent of the asso- 
ciation of Quararibea with Theobroma, as shown by the 
vernacular names. In Oaxaca, Quararibea funebris is 
called cacaoxochit! (Nahuatl: ‘‘cacao-flower’’), flor de 
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