incidental report appeared in one of my previous papers 
(Schultes, R. E. in Bot. Mus. Leafl. Harvard Univ. 16 
(1953) 90). There would be every reason to give some 
credence to the reports because the A pocynaceae or Dog- 
bone Family is known to have highly toxic members. 
Malouetia Tamaquarina is called cuchara-caspt (‘‘spoon 
tree’’) in the Leticia-area, as the soft wood was formerly 
whittled into spoons. Some local rubber tappers refer to 
it as chicle. The tree may attain a height of fifty feet, 
averaging between thirty and forty. The usually straight, 
cylindrical trunk, with a diameter of twenty inches, is 
covered with a brownish or ashy-purple bark. The crown 
is light and irregular. The tree blossoms profusely, bear- 
ing white to yellowish, fragrant flowers. The free-flowing 
latex has a sweet flavor but causes a slight burning of the 
tongue. The wood is soft and white. 
There are several closely related species of Ma/louetia, 
and these may be similarly poisonous. Malowetia nitida 
Spruce is reported to be used as an arrow poison. Hare, 
H. A., B. Caspari and H. H. Rusby ‘‘National Dispen- 
satory,’’ Ed. 2 (1908) 213). The leaves of what appears 
to be Malouetia Tamaquarina are sometimes added to 
the narcotic drink prepared from Banisteriopsis Caapt in 
the Colombian Vaupés (Schultes, R. E. in Bot. Mus. 
Leafl. Harvard Univ. 18 (1957) 39). 
Malouctia Tamaquarina extends from the Guianas 
across the northwestern Amazon of Brazil, Colombia and 
Peru. A recent segregate has been described: Malouetia 
peruviana Woodson (in Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 22 (1985) 
259), but the differences seem to be trivial. Ma/ouwetia 
furfuracea Spruce of Amazonian Peru is likewise known 
by the vernacular name cuchara-caspi. 
An attempt to study Malouetia Tamaquarina or a 
related species chemically would seem to be worthy of 
consideration. 
Cotomsia : Comisaria del Amazonas, Trapecio Amazoénica, Rio Lore- 
toyacu. Altitude about 100 m. September—November, 1944. Richard 
Evans Schultes GO34; GO83; 6112. 
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