(Schultes, Raffauf et Soejarto 24165) gave a negative result for 
alkaloids. 
Theobroma subincanum Martius in Buchner, Repert. Pharm. 
35 (1830) 23. 
BRAZIL: Estado do Amazonas, Rio Purus, Rio Apitua, vicinity of 
Jamamadi Indian village. Forest on terra firma. “*Tree, 15 m. x 15 cm. 
diameter. Bark used in snuff. The bark is stripped, burnt and the ash mixed 
with tobacco (13929) to produce a narcotic snuff. Cowadimani.”” July 1, 1971. 
G.T. Prance et al. 13933. — Same locality and date. “Seedlings of tree 
cultivated by Jamamadi Indians as an alternative to Theobroma (13933) in 
making their narcotic snuff. Bark is burned and the ashes are added to 
tobacco (13928)"’. Cupiit. G.T. Prance et al. 13939. — Rio Cunhua at Deni 
Indian village. ‘Forest beside stream. Tree, 12 m. x 15 cm. diameter. The 
bark ash used as an ingredient of Deni Indian snuff; the fruit eaten by Deni 
Indians. Mapanaha (Deni), cupui (Port.)’’. November 29, 1970. G.T. Prance 
etal. 16515. — Rio Purus, Jamamadi Mission Station, 30 km. west of Labrea. 
Forest on terra firma. ‘‘Treelet, 3 m. tall. Bark ash mixed with tobacco leaves 
as components of Jamamadi snuff. Shina (Jamamadi)’’. June 28, 1974. D.G. 
Campbell et al. P21258. 
CoLomBiA: Comisaria del Vaupés, Rio Piraparana. *‘Cultivated tree. Bark 
pounded and burned to mix with tobacco and yakee snuff.’ August 24, 1952. 
R.E. Schultes et 1. Cabrera 17005. 
There may well be a reason for the choice of bark of this 
species of Theobroma for the alkaline ash mixture in tobacco 
and Virola snuffs over such a wide area of the Amazon. The 
Indians of the Rio Piraparana region of the Colombian Vaupés 
prefer this ash to mix with the dried and powdered Virola resin. 
Natives in other parts of the Colombian Amazon (e.g., the 
Yukunas of the Rio Miritiparana) use it to make ashes for 
tobacco-snuff. The several reports by Prance and his collabor- 
ators are based on specimens from the Rio Purus of Brazil, an 
area some 600 air-miles from the Colombian locality cited 
above and from totally unrelated Indians. There are likewise 
reports, but without voucher specimens, of the employment of 
the bark-ashes of Theobroma for this purpose from numerous 
other Amazonian localities. 
THY MELAEACEAE 
Schoenobiblus peruvianus Stand/ey in Field Mus. Publ. Bot. 6 
(1936) 169. 
CoLomBIA: Comisaria del Amazonas, Rio Loretoyacu. October, 1946. 
187 
