770 



CINCHONA 



CINCHONA 



Some of the species are lofty trees, others are mere 

 shrubs. They grow isolated in various districts of the 

 Andes, at elevations ranging from 2,300-9,000 ft., and 

 between 22 south and 10 north latitude. Lvs. oppo- 

 site, with deciduous stipules: fls. much frequented 

 by humming-birds, fragrant, white and pink in color, 

 growing in terminal panicles; calyx small, 5-toothed, 



963. Cimicifuga 

 racemosa. 



(Lfts.XM) 



and persistent; corolla has a long tube with 5 short 

 spreading valvate lobes, hairy at the margins; sta- 

 mens 5, included in the corolla; ovary 2-celled, with 

 very numerous ovules inserted on linear axile placentae: 

 caps, opening septicidally from the base upwards; seeds 

 small, numerous, flat and surrounded with a wing. 

 There are 30-40 confused species. Specimens are some- 

 times seen in collections of economic plants, but they 

 are not horticultural subjects. 



From the pharmacopooial point of view there are 

 two distinct kinds of cinchona bark: (1) Cinchona, 

 also called yellow cinchona and calisaya bark, which 

 is probably the bark obtained from Cinchona Ledger- 

 iana, Moens, and hybrids of this with other species of 

 Cinchona. The bark secured from these sources is said 

 to contain 6 to 7 per cent of alkaloids, of which one- 

 half to two-thirds is quinine. (2) Cinchona rubra, or 

 red cinchona, which is obtained from Cinchona succir- 

 ubra, Pavon, or its hybrids. In this bark the alkaloid 

 cinchonidine exists in greater proportion. 



The cinchona trees are considered to yield the maxi- 

 mum of alkaloids at six to nine years of age. The bark 

 of the trunk and roots is removed; the latter is used 

 mostly in the manufacture of quinine. Effort has been 

 made to adopt the spelling Chinchona, although Lin- 

 naeus, in founding the genus, used only one h: see 



Clements R. Markham "A Memoir of the Lady Ana 

 de Osorio, Countess of Chinchon and Vice-Queen of 

 Peru (A.D. 1629-39), with a Plea for the Correct 

 Spelling of the Chinchona Genus," London, 1874. 



The febrifuge reached Spain as early as 1639. Knowl- 

 edge of it was spread by the Countess of Chinchon, 

 hence it was called Countess' powder and Peruvian 

 bark, and also Jesuits' bark, from the knowledge of it 

 spread by Jesuits. The word quinine is derived from 

 the name by which it was known in Peru, quinaquina, 

 or "bark of barks." In 1849, trees were sent by the 

 Jesuits to Algeria, but the experiment was not success- 

 ful. In 1852-4, Hasskarl successfully introduced living 

 plants into Java, in 1859, Clements R. Markham was 

 entrusted by the government of India with the task of 

 collecting plants and seeds on the Andes, and estab- 

 lishing them in India. In his fascinating book "Peru- 

 vian Bark: a popular account of the introduction of 

 Chinchona cultivation into British India" (1880), 

 Markham recounts the difficulties in South America 

 and his final success. Cinchona is now grown commer- 

 cially in India and also in Jamaica, but most of the 

 commercial product is secured from trees grown in 

 Java; it is also cultivated in New Zealand and Aus- 

 tralia. C. Ledgeriana, Moens (C. Calisaya, Wedd., var. 

 Ledgeriana, How.), is a small tree with small thick 

 elliptical Ivs., reddish beneath, and with yellowish 

 not fragrant fls., and a short caps. C. succirubra, 

 Pav., has large and thin broad-elliptic Ivs., purple- 

 red calyx and rose-colored petals, and an elongated 

 caps. C. officinalis, Hook, f., has oval-lanceolate 

 acute shining ]vs., and rose-colored silky fls. It is 

 sometimes seen (in some of its forms) in collections. 

 Var. Condaminea (C. Condaminea, Humb. & Bonpl.) 

 is one of these forms and has been intro. in S. Calif, 

 and said to be easily grown there. L jj g 



Cultivation of cinchona. (By Wm. Fawcett.) 



The seedlings may be raised either in boxes or in 

 beds. The boxes should not be more than 3 or 4 inches 

 deep. Three -quarter -inch drainage - holes should be 

 made in the bottom, about 6 inches apart. Whitewash 

 the boxes or dust them inside with lime. Put pieces of 

 broken flower-pots over the drainage holes, and cover 

 the bottom with gravel to a depth of 1 inch. The soil 

 should be made up of one-third leaf-mold, one-third 

 good soil and one-third fine river gravel. These should 

 be thoroughly mixed and passed through a J^-inch 

 sieve. Fill the boxes to within % inch of the top, and 

 slightly water. Sow the seed evenly, and sprinkle over 

 it some of the sifted soil, only just covering it. The 

 boxes should be under shade, sheltered from rain, and 

 watered every day with a very fine spray from a 

 watering-can. The seedlings will appear in three or 

 four weeks. If the seeds are sown in beds, they require 

 the protection of a roof sloping south, and supported 

 by posts 4 feet 6 inches high on the north, and 3 feet 

 3 inches on the south side. The sides may also have 

 to be covered in. The breadth of the beds is 3 feet. 

 The roof projects beyond the south posts sufficiently 

 to keep off direct sunlight, and in the summertime, 

 at any rate, a narrow north roof must be added at 

 right angles. If the sheds are built under the shade 

 of tall trees, the roof is needed only for shelter from 

 rain. 



When the seedlings are 1^ to 2 inches high, they 

 should be transplanted into nursery beds, made up in 

 the same way as for seeds. In transplanting, use a 

 wooden peg 4 or 5 inches long, %mch thick at one 

 end and tapering to a dull point. A seedling is picked up 

 with the left hand from a bundle brought from the seed- 

 beds, a hole is made with the peg in the right hand, 

 big enough to receive the roots without bending or 

 crushing them. The soil is then pressed closely over the 

 rootlets with the peg. Two inches between each plant is 

 enough room. At first the plants should be shaded, but 



