The  Botanical  Source  of  Araroba.  495 
an  entirely  distinct  species,  which  received  the  name  Cinchona  Ledger- 
iana,  and  being  the  most  valuable  of  all  cinchonas  because  it  yields  the 
most  quinia,  was  now  cultivated  very  carefully  and  extensively  ;  8,000 
of  the  original  20,000  plants  having  died,  only  12,000  trees  remained 
in  1872.  By  thinning  out  the  original  plantations  9,200  kilograms 
bark  were  obtained  until  1877  (included),  which  sold  at  Amsterdam 
for  89,853.32  florins.  The  harvest  of  1878  amounted  to  4,200  kilo- 
grams. Although  the  yields  in  twelve  years  probably  amounted  to 
13,600  kilograms  from  12,000  young  trees,  the  original  plantations 
now  still  contain  more  product  than  they  yielded  so  far ;  besides,  they 
have  yielded  millions  of  seeds,  which  have  readily  sold  in  Java  and  else- 
where. The  government  plantations  now  contain  6,300  original  trees, 
211,000  raised  from  seeds  and  36,000  from  shoots.  Dr.  Haskarl 
claims  that  even  at  the  present  date  cinchona  cultivation  in  Java, 
if  carried  on  with  prudence  and  care,  requires  comparatively  but  little 
capital,  and  usually  proves  a  gold  mine. 
THE  BOTANICAL  SOURCE  OF  ARAROBA. 
In  a  former  note  on  Goa  powder,  which  appeared  in  this  j  ournal,1 
it  was  suggested  by  Mr.  E,  M.  Holmes  that  this  drug  might  perhaps  be 
derived  from  a  species  of  Ccesalpinia  nearly  allied  to  C,  Sappan,  L. 
This  opinion  was  founded  partly  on  a  microscopical  examination  of 
the  structure  of  fragments  of  wood  found  in  the  araroba  of  com- 
merce, and  partly  on  the  appearance  of  a  single  leaf  of  the  araroba 
plant,  which  was  found  to  bear  a  considerable  resemblance  in  habit  to 
those  of  C.  Sappan.  This  leaf,  kindly  supplied  from  the  Royal 
Botanical  Gardens  of  Edinburg,  was  obtained  from  a  slip  of  the  plant 
brought  home  from  Bahia  by  Dr.  J.  L.  Paterson.  Those  who  are  well 
acquainted  with  the  plants  of  Leguminosae  will  readily  acknowledge 
the  difficulty  of  judging  of  the  genus  from  a  leaf  alone,  without 
flowers  and  fruit.  These  have  at  length  been  procured,  and  the  true 
source  of  the  araroba  may  now  be  considered  to  be  definitely  settled, 
and  the  mystery  which  has  so  long  attended  the  natural  history  of  the 
drug  to  be  satisfactorily  cleared  up.  This  information  is  suppled  by  Dr. 
J.  M.  de  Aguiar,  who  has  just  published  at  Bahia2  a  pamphlet  contain- 
1  Pharmaceutical  Journal  £3],  vol. v.,  p.  801,  note.2 
2  Memoria  Sobre  a  Araroba,  pelo  Dr.  J.  M.  de  Aguiar,  Bahia,  1879. 
