up to 8 feet.”’ April 1953. R.E. Schultes et 1. Cabrera 20012. — Rio Kubiyu, 
Cerro Kanenda. Savannah. ‘‘Bush. Height 9 feet. Under part of leaf sordid. 
Flowers white; anthers yellow’. November 10, 1952. R.E. Schultes et I. 
Cabrera 18311. 
The Kubeo Indians crush the leaves of this small shrub to 
apply to warts. 
POTALIACEAE 
Potalia Amara Aublet, Hist. Plant. Guian. Frang. 1 (1775) 394, 
on 
BRAZIL: Estado do Amazonas, Rio Uneiuxi, Maku Indian village, 300 km. 
above mouth. ‘Forest on terra firma. Treelet, 3 m. tall. Root bark scraped, 
mixed with Menispermaceae /5560 as ingredient for Maku snake-bite cure. 
Awuibiden: aw = snake (Maku)’’. October 23, 1971. G.T. Prance, P.J.M. 
Maas, D.B. Woolcott, O.P. Monteiro et J.F. Ramos 15559. 
CoLomsia: Comisaria del Vaupés, Rio Vaupés, Mitu and vicinity. *‘Mar- 
tiguaje’’. September 16, 1939. J. Cuatrecasas 6852. — Same locality. Sep- 
tember 8, 1951. R.E. Schultes et I. Cabrera 13972. — Comisaria del 
Amazonas, Rio Apaporis, Soratama. ‘‘Shrub 2 m. tall. Flowers yellowish 
green. Leaves paler green beneath, dark green above. Puinave name = 
chin-wee'. Growing in flood forest’’. August 27, 1951. R.E. Schultes et 1. 
Cabrera 13726. — Comisaria del Vaupés, Rio Vaupés, Cerro de Mitu. 
‘‘Flowers yellow. Used against snake-bite. Height 5 ft. Martiguaje’’. August 
20, 1960. R.E. Schultes 22718. 
PERU: Departamento de Loreto, Provincia Maynas. Mishuyacu, road to 
Quistococha, near Iquitos. ‘‘Curarina’’. October 15, 1965. J. Torres 109, — 
Rio Napo, Negro Urco. ‘‘Curarina (sp.); cu’ yacono’ -le. Treelet, 2 m.”°. 
August 27, 1966. R.T. Martin et C.A. Lau-Cam 1312. — Millpa Canio. 
“Curarina-sacha’’. March 26, 1968. F. Tina et M. Tello (Amazon Natural 
Drug Co.) 2074. — Provincia Mariscal Caceres, Tocache Nuevo. 
““Curarina-sacha. Los nativos tomen las hojas en infusion para picadura de 
viboras’’. November 10, 1969. J. Schunke V. 3610. — Rio Yaguasyacu, 
affluent of Rio Ampuyacu. Brillo Nuevo and vicinity. ** Bora = okaji-kahpuu. 
Fresh leaves chopped with water. Taken internally for snake-bite or against 
any poisonous animal (raya, isula). Calms the body and eliminates pain’’. 
April 12, 1977. T. Plowman, R.E. Schultes et O. Tovar (Alpha-Helix Amazon 
Expedition 1976-1977, Phase VII) 6803. — Same locality. ‘**Unbranched 
treelet, 4 m. tall, in disturbed upland forest. Leaves coriaceous, shiny. 
Rhachis and inflorescence yellow. Fruit green. Alkaloid-negative’’. April 15, 
1977. T. Plowman, R.E. Schultes et O. Tovar 6895. 
It is obvious that in the northwest Amazon Potalia Amara is 
considered a valuable and very versatile remedy. The Maku 
Indians of Brazil mix the bark scrapings with the bark of a 
menispermaceous plant to treat snake-bite. The several tribes 
of the Colombian Vaupés likewise consider it efficaceous for 
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