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PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. Ill, April, 1949 
The use of Alstonia as an antiplasmodial is 
frowned upon, but the antipyretic effective- 
ness of A. scholaris has apparently been sub- 
stantiated by recent findings such as those of 
B. Mukerji (1946), who states that he has 
observed febrifugal action of a pronounced 
degree. 
Many alkaloids have been isolated from Als- 
tonia bark. Henry (1939) lists 11 species as 
having been examined for alkaloids, all with 
positive findings. Not one of the species listed 
belongs in the § Blaberopus, or the § Win- 
chia. The latter, with its single species, is closely 
related to § Pala, but § Blaberopus is highly 
distinctive and certainly merits careful investi- 
gation. In the § Dissurasp ermum only A. con- 
stricta was examined, a species hardly typical 
of the section. Henry lists A. somersetensis and 
A. spectabilis . The identity of these species is 
not clear. The former might be either A. spec- 
tabilis or A. Muelleriana, the latter, A. scholaris . 
While Alstonia alkaloids occupy an im- 
portant place in chemical literature, much less 
is known about the value of the latices. The 
widely distributed A. scholaris , the very closely 
related African representatives, and also other 
species are immense trees bearing copious latex 
of good quality for use as chewing gum. The 
latex of A. angustiloba is reported to have been 
analyzed and found similar to that of -Dyera 
(Anonymous, 1910) and it has been noted 
that the latex of A. angustifolia solidifies to 
something like jelutong. Marx Lang (1925: 
11) states that A. Vieillardi "pourrait devenir 
facilement lob jet dune culture interessante, 
car il a donne, a la saignee, les 7/10 des son 
volume en caoutchouc.” The latex obtained 
from the branchlets and petioles of A. vitiensis 
and related species is used by the Fijians as a 
source of chewing gum. A sample of caout- 
chouc prepared from a Fijian Alstonia was 
sent to England and the quality was highly 
valued (Morris, 1898: 48). 
The wood of A . spatulata is among the light- 
est known. The timber of A. scholaris is used 
in a minor way for boxes, furniture, and like 
articles. The wood of A. scholaris is not durable 
and that of A . Boonei is subject to insect at- 
tack and decay; they possibly are suitable for 
paper pulp. 
The potential commercial possibilities of 
Alstonia pose the question of availability of 
large quantities of plant material. The natural 
range of Alstonia is an immense, almost con- 
tinuous belt in the palaeotropics, stretching 
from the west coast of Africa to the Marquesas 
in the far eastern Pacific, and from the Hima- 
layas to New South Wales. Species grow at 
altitudes and under conditions varying from 
sea level to very great heights, in deep swamps 
and rain forests to rather dry ground and areas 
of moderate rainfall, in soils of rich humus to 
clay or limestone. Although Alstonia species 
apparently do not form exclusive stands in 
virgin forests, great numbers of individuals are 
sometimes found in certain localities. In dis- 
tributional character, therefore, Alstonia has 
an advantage over its sister genus, Dyera, the 
well-known producer of jelutong; also in the 
diversity of its taxonomic elements, embracing 
5 sections, 39 species, 12 varieties, and count- 
less forms, Alstonia enjoys an advantage over 
Dyera , which comprises merely two closely re- 
lated species (Monachino, 1946: 189). 
Continuing on the subject of availability, 
what promise has Alstonia as a cultivated crop? 
Several attempts have been made in the culti- 
vation of Dyera , but without conclusive results 
(Monachino, 1946: 178-180). No extensive 
experiment has been reported on the cultiva- 
tion of Alstonia , but A. scholaris , as an orna- 
mental, has proved quite adaptable in climates 
such as southern Florida and California in the 
United States, Puerto Rico and Dominica in the 
West Indies, Calcutta in India, and Buiten- 
zorg in Java. Duss (1897: 397) noted that 
A. scholaris grown in the botanic garden at 
Saint-Pierre, Guadeloupe, covered itself with 
flowers in October or November but did not 
produce fruits. 
