Cotomsia: Comisaria del Vaupés, Rio Kuduyari, headwaters. **Li- 
ana. Fruits dull red. Bark and leaves used by Kubeo for fish poison.’’ 
August 16, 1960. R.E. Schultes 22719, 
This extensive vine, which is relatively abundant in the 
headwaters of the Rio Kuduyari as an element of the 
riverside vegetation, provides one of the usual fish poi- 
sons employed in still water by the Kubeo Indians. The 
root and stem bark and leaves are mixed together, 
crushed, placed in a bag and drawn slowly through the 
water. 
A spot test for alkaloids, made on the dried leaves of 
this collection, was negative. Alkaloids have apparently 
never been reported from any species of the Connaraceae 
(Willaman, J.J. and B.G. Schubert: ‘‘Alkaloid-bearing 
plants and their contained alkaloids’? Techn. Bull. No. 
1234, U.S.D.A. (1961). 
The collection Schultes 22719 is apparently the first 
record of this species from Colombia. The type was col- 
lected in British Guiana by Schomburgk. 
Connarus Schultesii Standley ex Schultes in Bot. 
Mus. Leafl., Harvard Univ. 9 (1941) 173, t. 4. 
Mexico: Estado de Oaxaca, San Juan Lalana, Distrito de Choapam. 
Alt. 700 m. ‘SA tangled vine growing on large forest trees, mountain 
southeast of Lalana, Stems exude red sap upon breaking.’’ May 9, 
1939. R.E. Schultes et B.P. Reko 833. 
Known only from the type collection, this species has 
been employed by the Chinantec Indians as a taenifuge. 
The extremely bitter red sap that exudes from the stems 
acts in the expulsion of certain intestinal parasites, but 
it is reputedly toxic in large doses. Since the species is 
reported by the natives to be local, its use in folk-medicine 
appears to be restricted. It is perhaps of interest that an 
African species is similarly employed (Heckel, E., and 
I. Schlagenhauffen in Ann. Fac. Sci. Marseilles 6, fase. 
2 (1897) 1-26). The only other species recorded from 
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