458 Pernvia?i-harh Trees and their Transplantation. 



of a species for all febrifugal purposes, but this theory has of 

 late been demolished, some utterly worthless species having 

 scrobiculoe, and some really valuable ones, for instance, Chin- 

 chona succirubra, the Red bark, not having them. The petiole 

 is rather long, and supported by stipules. The flowers, ar- 

 ranged in cymose panicles, are white, pink, or purple, and often 

 sweetly scented. The calyx is five-toothed. The corolla hypo- 

 crateriform, five-lobed, and having inside five stamens. The 

 capsule is ovate, oblong, or linear-lanceolate, crowned with the 

 remnant of the calyx — two-celled, many-seeded and opening from 

 the base to the apex. This latter technicality was first pointed 

 out by Linnsous in his tenth edition of his Genera Plantarum ; 

 but in consequence of information, probably received from Mutis 

 of Bogota, that the capsules opened sometimes from the top to 

 the base, as well as from the base to the top, the character was 

 disregarded until restored by Endlicher and Klotzsch ; Dr. 

 Karsten has called its validity once more in question, but many 

 botanists are inclined to think that the exceptional cases brought 

 forward in support of his opinion may be explained away by 

 regarding them as the result of mechanical, rather than organic 

 dehiscence. Commercially, this technical point (by which Chin- 

 chOnas principally differ from Ladenbergias) is of the utmost 

 value, as all the Chinchonaceous plants, the capsules of which 

 open from the apex to the base, may, in a practical point of 

 view, according to Howard's investigation, be considered as not 

 producing alkaloids. The seeds are flat, winged, and so light 

 that one would fancy that a breath of wind could disperse them 

 over large tracts of country, and that by means of these pecu- 

 liarities the different species of Ghinchona enjoyed a very wide 

 geographical range, while exactly the contrary is the case, all 

 the species being extremely local. 



The Chinchona trees range from the 19th degree of S. to 

 the 10th degree of N. latitude, following the almost semicncular 

 curve of the Cordillera of the Andes over 1740 miles of latitude. 

 The most favourable conditions of their growth are, as Markham 

 has summed them up, a continuous vegetation] a mean tem- 

 perature, varying according to species, from 60 1 to 70° Fahr., an 

 almost constant supply of moisture, and an elevation of from 

 5000 to 8000 ft. ; some species, however, descending below 

 2500, and some ascending to 9000 ft. Their favourite haunts 

 are ravines and valleys, or slopes of mountains. There they 

 grow, surrounded by the most magnificent scenery in the world, 

 midst tree-ferns, arborescent passion-flowers, Melastomaceoe, 

 and allied Chinchonaceous genera. 



There are five principal regions from which our present 

 supply of bark is derived, viz., the New Granada region, the 

 Red-bark region on the western slopes of Chimborazo, the 



