1368 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM 



Shrub or small tree, sometimes 5 meters high or more; leaves petiolate, ovate 

 or elliptic-ovate, 5 to 12 cm. long, usually cuspidate-acuminate, rounded to 

 acute at base, glabrous or short-pilose beneath; corolla white or yellowish, 

 tinged below with purple; capsule 2 cm. long, dark brown. "Arbol de San 

 Silvestre" (Nicaragua): "quina," "quinita," "quina blanca," "zalas" (El 

 Salvador) . 



The bark is bitter and astringent, with properties similar to those of Cinchona 

 bark, although less active. It was formerly much employed in medicine, being 

 known as "quinquina de Cumana" and "quinquina de Cartagena." 



15. CEPHALANTHUS L. Sp. PI. 95. 1753. 



Reference: Standley, N. Amer. Fl. 32: 129-130. 1921. 



Shrubs or small trees; leaves opposite or verticillate, short-petiolate; flowers 

 small, white or yellow, sessile in dense globose heads; calyx 4 or 5-dentate, often 

 gland uliferous; corolla tubular-funnelform, the limb 4 or 5-lobate, often with 

 glands in the sinuses; fruit turbinate, 2 to 4-celled, the cells indehiscent, 1-seeded; 

 seeds with a white aril at apex. 



Calyx glabrous outside, or the tube with a few long white hairs at base. 



1. C. occidentalis. 



Cah'x densely appressed-pubescent 2. C. salicif olius. 



1. Cephalanthus occidentalis L. Sp. PI. 95. 1753. 



Cephalanthus berlandieri Wernham, Journ. Bot. Brit. & For. 55: 175. 1917. 



Chihuahua to Veracruz and Guerrero; reported from Tabasco. United States; 

 Cuba; southern Asia. 



Shrub or small tree, sometimes 15 meters high; leaves opposite or ternate, 

 ovate to narrowly lanceolate, 6 to 19 cm. long, acuminate, rounded to acute at 

 base, glabrous or pilose beneath; heads 6 to 12 mm. in diameter, long-peduncu- 

 late, axillary and terminal; corolla 5 to 9 mm. long; capsule 4 to 8 mm. long; 

 wood light, rather hard and close-grained, pinkish brown. "Jazmin" (Michoa- 

 cdn, Guerrero); "uvero" (Tabasco, Rovirosa). 



Known in the United States as "buttonbush." The bark is bitter, with tonic 

 and laxative properties, and has been employed for periodic fevers. A poisonous 

 principle, cephalanthin, which destroys the blood corpuscles and causes violent 

 vomiting, convulsions, and paralysis, has been separated from it. The bark has 

 been used also for palsy, coughs, and venereal and cutaneous diseases. The plant 

 is said to yield a yellow dye. 



2. Cephalanthus salicifolius Humb. & Bonpl. PI. Aequin. 2: 63. 1809. 

 Cephalanthus occidentalis salicifolius A. Gray, Syn. Fl. 1^: 29. 1878. 

 Cephalanthus peroblongus Wernham, Journ. Bot. Brit. & For. 55: 176. 1917. 

 Sonora to Guerrero, Morelos, and Tamaulipas; type from Acapulco, Guerrero. 



Honduras. 



Shrub or small tree; leaves elliptic-oblong to linear-lanceolate, 5 to 12 cm. 

 long, rounded to attenuate at apex, acute to subcordate at base, glabrous or 

 nearly so; heads 6 to 8 mm. long, long-pedunculate; corolla 6 to 7 mm. long; 

 capsule 4 to 5 mm. long. "Mimbre" (Sinaloa); "botoncillo" (Honduras); 

 "jazmin bianco" (Nayarit). 



16. DUGQENA Vahl; West, Bidr. Beskr. St. Croix 269. 1793. 

 Reference: Standley, N. Amer. Fl. 32: 133-137. 1921. 

 1, Duggenapanamensis (Cav.) Standi. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 18: 126. 1916. 

 Buena panamensis Cav. Anal. Hist. Nat. (Madrid) 2: 279. 1800. 

 Gonzalea panamensis Spreng. Syst. Veg. 1: 417. 1825. 

 Gonzalagunia panamensis Schum. in Mart. Fl. Bras. 6^: 292. 1889. 



