v 
448  ON  HOWARDIA  FEBRIFUGA. 
tention  to  some  of  the  Rubiacese  with  capsular  fruit,  which 
I  had  before  neglected,  revealed  to  me  the  true  affinities  of 
Howardia,  of  which  the  absence  of  flowers  had  caused  a  mis- 
conception. I  became  certain  that  my  plant  was  congener  of 
that  described  by  De  Candolle,  under  the  name  of  Calycophyllum 
tubulosum  ;  that  species  and  mine  not  only  being  generically 
distinct  from  Calycophyllum,  but  properly  belonging  to  another 
tribe. 
Howardia. — Chrysoxylon,  Wedd. ;  Hist.  Nat.  Quinq.  100. 
Calycophylli  spec,  D.  C.  Prodr.  iv.  403. 
Trees  and  shrubs  of  tropical  America. 
Howardia  febrifuga. 
QJirysoxylon  febrifugum,  Wedd. ;  Mist.  Nat.  Quinq.  p.  100. 
A  tree  of  from  ten  to  sixteen  feet  in  height,  and  two  and  a  half 
to  four  inches  in  diameter.  Its  bark  externally  (dried)  with  a 
cork-like  epidermis,  sulcate  clefts,  and  a  grayish  brown  color, 
internally  of  an  intense  yellow. 
Found  in  the  province  of  Bolivia  called  Yungas,  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  Santa  Crux  de  la  Sierra. 
Mr.  Howard  has  met  this  bark  in  commerce  in  England,  and 
presented  specimens  to  the  Museum  of  Natural  History  of  Paris. 
It  is  in  the  form  of  small  scale-like  plates  deprived  of  epidermis, 
of  four  to  five  centimetres,  (1.375  to  1.769  in.)  by  one  to  two 
millimetres,  (.03937  to  .07874  in.)  in  thickness  ;  the  pieces  are 
of  yellow,  approaching  orange  within,  where  their  surface  is 
fibrous,  and  exhibit,  externally,  a  vinous  color  and  somewhat  cel- 
lular surface.  Mr.  Howard  has  examined  it  chemically,  and 
established  the  presence  of  a  new  alkali,  to  which  we  may  give 
the  name  of  hoivardin. 
The  bark  treated  by  this  experienced  operator  furnished  him 
a  brownish  yellow  powder,  40  parts  of  which  dissolved  in  100  of 
boiling  water  ;  the  decoction,  which  was  a  golden  yellow,  became 
clouded  by  cooling.  A  small  quantity  of  starch  was  detected  in 
it.  In  the  clear  liquor  there  was  found  ten  per  cent,  of  the 
weight  of  the  bark  of  coloring  matter  united  with  lime,  one  per 
cent,  of  gum  and  one  per  cent,  of  an  alkali  soluble  in  ether, 
restoring  to  blue  the  reddened  vegetable  blue,  and  finally  soluble 
in  acids,  from  which  it  was  precipitated  by  alkalies  in  the 
form  of  hydrate,  similar  in  appearance  to  cinchonine.    In  no 
