A century set (i.e. one hundred herbarium specimens) 
was collected from the type tree for distribution by the 
Gray Herbarium of Harvard University. Floral material 
was also obtained from the same tree and preserved in al- 
cohol and glycerine for use in drawing up the description. 
An interesting Indian use of weuquit, discovered by 
Froées along the Rio Japura, is the manufacture of toy 
whistles from the seeds. All of the interior of the seed 
(the cotyledons) is removed and a number of holes, over 
which the fingers are placed, are made. In popular medi- 
cine in Amazonian Brazil, the fruit is sometimes em- 
ployed as a vermifuge (Le Cointe loc. cit.). 
The earliest and, in fact, the only reference of an ex- 
tended nature to ucuqui which has come to our attention 
is Wallace’s interesting discussion of the plant (Wallace, 
A. R. ‘‘A narrative of travels on the Amazon and Rio 
Negro”’ ed. G. T. Bettany (1889) 243-244). Because of 
its historical significance, we quote it in full. ‘‘Of a 
passing Indian {on the Rio Uaupés] I bought a basket 
of Ocoki, and some fish. The Ocoki is a large pear- 
shaped fruit, with a hard thick outer skin of almost 
woody texture, then a small quantity of very sweet pulpy 
matter, and within a large black oval stone. The pulp 
is very luscious, but is so acrid as to make the mouth 
and throat sore, if more than two or three are eaten. 
When, however, the juice is boiled it loses this property ; 
and when made into mingau with tapioca, is exceedingly 
palatable and very highly esteemed in the Upper Rio 
Negro, where it is abundant. It takes at least a peck of 
fruit to give one small panella of mingau. 
“On the next day, the 10th in the afternoon, the In- 
dians all suddenly sprang like otters into the water, swam 
to the shore, and disappeared in the forest. ‘Ocoki’ was 
the answer to my inquiries as to the cause of their sud- 
den disappearance ; and I soon found they had discovered 
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