f HARVARD ' 
} LIBRARY 
\ JUN 18 1945 
BOTANICAL LEAFLETS 
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 
VoL. 12, No. 1 
CamBRIDGE, Massacuuserts, JuNE 14, 1945 
THE GENUS HEVEA IN COLOMBIA 
BY 
RicHarp Evans Scout res! 
i, 
IN RECENT YEARS, as a direct result of the emergency 
created by the present war, there has been evidenced 
considerable interest in the wild stands of Hevea in east- 
ern Colombia. Exploitation of these stands is about to 
enter its third consecutive year. In addition to the tap- 
ping of the wild trees for rubber, there is being carried 
out a scientific study and search of the stands for superior 
clones for plantation programs in Latin America. 
A knowledge of the distribution of the chief species 
of Hevea is, obviously, of prime importance for such 
commercial and scientific work. Up to the present time, 
we have had a very incomplete comprehension of this 
economic genus as it occurs in Colombia. In fact, less is 
known about the genus in Colombia, the northwestern- 
most extent of its range, than in any other part of the 
vast area where Hevea occurs naturally. This has been 
due largely to the lack of botanical exploration of eastern 
Colombia. 
The need for a provisional summary of the distribution 
of the species seems to be urgent, and it appears hardly 
advisable to await the more exhaustive studies which 
‘ Associate Agronomist, United States Department of Agriculture; 
Research Fellow, Botanical Museum of Harvard University. 
Le 
