per part, leaving an orifice of 2.5 cm. diam.; the cup 
closely adpressed to the fruit. In a smaller fruit (4.5 em. 
diam.) the orifice of the cup is 3.5 cm. in diam. Stalk 
thick, woody, very short, 6 mm. diam.; cotyledons 
plane-convex, thick; plumule, and radicle basal. 
Most of the flower buds available for dissection were 
abnormal as a result of fungal attack. The fruit cup is 
unusual in Ocotea, because it is almost adnate to the 
fruit. Another peculiarity is that the fruit does not pro- 
trude from the cup. This is rare in Ocotea, but it does 
occur in other genera of the Lauraceae. 
The Kofiin Indians, a tropical rain forest tribe of east- 
ern Ecuador and Colombia, employ the fruit of this plant, 
gingivé’k'o in Wofain, as an ingredient in one of their 
arrow poisons. Hence, the specific epithet, which means 
‘*very poisonous’’ in Latin, was chosen for this large tree. 
Two trees had to be felled before fertile material was 
found. After felling the first tree, which was sterile, I 
(Pinkley) took bark of the tree to my hut, thinking that 
it was the part of the tree used in preparing the arrow 
poison. When L arrived with the bark, the Indians laughed 
and revealed that they use only the fruit. 
Chemical analysis and pharmacologic research of this 
new species is being carried out by Dr. Ara Der Mar- 
derosian of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and 
Science. He reports, through personal communication, 
that he has isolated two of several alkaloids present, 
rodiasine and demethylrodiasine related to the curare 
alkaloid of medicine, d-tubocurarine. Rodiasine was first 
isolated in crystalline form from Ocotea Rodiei (Rob. 
Schomb. ) Mez (Nectandra Rodiei Rob. Schomb.), (4, 7). 
The alkaloid study of Ocotea Rodiet began much earlier, 
however, when Maclagan in 1848 separated the alkaloids 
of this plant into two amorphous fractions, calling the 
portion soluble in ether bebeerine, and the portion in- 
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