a snuff, it was learned that the Witoto Indians of Colombia and 
their neighbours, the Boras and Muinanes, employ the red 
exudate of several species of Virola to make pellets which are 
ingested to induce intoxication (Schultes, 1969). In 1969, the 
use of V. theiodora for this purpose was first reported from the 
Witotos of the Rio Karaparana of Colombia, but these Indians 
indicated that several other species might also be so utilized 
(Schultes and Swain, 1976). In 1976, with Holmstedt and 
Plowman, I learned that the Witotos and Boras of adjacent 
parts of the Peruvian Amazon do indeed employ several 
species for this purpose. V. elongata, V. loretensis A.C.Sm., V. 
Pavonis (DC.) A.C. Sm. and V. surinamensis (Rol.) Warb. 
(Schultes, Swain and Plowman, 1977). Of extreme interest was 
the report that the Boras apparently employ the myristicaceous 
Iryvanthera macrophylla (Benth.) Warb. as the basis of one of 
these hallucinogenic preparations. 
There is one group of very primitive, nomadic Maku Indians 
in the Rio Piraparana of Colombia, who drink the resin of 
Virola elongata directly with no preparation in order to induce 
the intoxication. This observation, based on voucher speci- 
mens, was made by the British anthropologist Peter Silver- 
wood-Cope in 1969. There are, likewise, vague suggestions 
written on herbarium material collected by the American 
botanist Julian Steyermark in 1964, that witch doctors in Ven- 
ezuela smoke the inner, dried bark of V. sebifera Aubl. for 
curing fevers or to drive away evil spirits. Both V. elongata and 
V. sebifera are alkaloidal, and these reports, consequently, 
may be based in actual effects of the plants as used. 
Species indicated in the foregoing discussion: 
Irvanthera macrophylla (Spruce) Warburg in Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 68 (1897) 
15S. 
Virola calophylla Warburg in Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 68 (1897) 231. 
Virola calophylloidea Markgraf in Fedde Repert. 19 (1923) 24. 
Virola cuspidata (Benth.) Warburg in Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 68 (1897) 176. 
Virola elongata (Benth.) Warburg in Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 68 (1897) 178. 
Virola loretensis A.C. Smith in Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 60 (1933) 95. 
Virola Pavonis (A.DC.) A.C. Smith in Brittonia 2 (1937) 504. 
Virola rufula (Mart. ex DC.) Warburg in Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 68 (1897) 181. 
Virola theiodora (Spr. ex Benth.) Warburg in Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 68 (1897) 
187. 
Virola surinamensis (Rol.) Warburg in Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 68 (1897) 208. 
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