This was one of the traditional Waorani fish poisons, but it has 

 been largely replaced by C/ihacIiuni asperum (Davis 294), (ac- 

 quired from neighbouring lowland Quichua) bcause it is more 

 effective on the larger streams and rivers where many of the 

 Waorani now live. The Waorani still plant Lonchocarpus Nicou 

 in their chacras, however, and use it in small feeder streams. They 

 pound the root to a pulp and place it directly in the small, slow 

 brooks where the effects are almost immediate. 



Lonchocarpus Nicou is widely known as barbasco in the 

 northwest Amazon; its root contains 20% rotenone (Usher 1974). 



Lonchocarpus Nicou (Aubl.) DC. var. Urucu Killip & Smith in 



Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 37 (1947) 1 11. 

 Collect.: Davis & Yost 968. 



Waorani Informant: Tomo (m). Upriver dialect: n.v. ni^neco 



This variety of Lonchocarpus Nicou is also used by the Wao- 

 rani, who semi-cultivate it by planting it throughout the forest. 

 They use it in the same way as they do variety languidus, crushing 

 the wood and root and casting them directly into a stream. 



Pachyrhizus angulatus Rich ex DC, Prodr. 2 402. 

 Collect.: Davis & Yost s.n. 

 n.v. capamo 



The Waorani cultivate the yam bean as a snack food to be eaten 

 raw. 



Undetermined specimen of Leguminosae. 



Collect.: Davis & Yost 1006. 



Waorani Informant: Tomo (m). Upriver dialect: n.v. acow^ 



The bark of this tall (80 m.) forest tree is crushed and employed 

 as a fish poison. An infusion of the bark is also applied to treat 

 fungal infections and infestations of mites and scabies. Since 

 contact, Waorani have washed their clothes in a bath prepared 

 with this bark to eliminate scabies. 



Simaroi:baceae 



Picramnia cf. Spruceana Engl, in Martius, Fl. Bras 12, pt. 2 



(1877)238. 



189 



