Cinchona officinalis L.
Family
Rubiaceae
Synonyms
Cinchona calisaya Wedd., Cinchona ledgeriana Moens ex Trimen.
Vernacular Names
|
Malaysia |
Kuinin. |
|
English |
Crown cinchona, Ledger cinchona, yellow cinchona. |
Geographical Distributions
Cinchona officinalis is naturally distributed in South America from Colombia to Bolivia; and planted in many tropical countries, e.g. in India and Indonesia (Java).
Description
Cinchona officinalis is a small tree that can reach up to 16 m tall.
The leaves measure 7-28 cm x 2.5-13 cm, hairless and with domatia beneath.
The flowers are 8-17 mm long, with hairless sepal and with yellowish-white to fleshy-colored or red petal.
The fruit is up to 25 mm long, smooth or sparsely hairy.
Ecology / Cultivation
Cinchona officinalis occurs naturally in mountainous regions at 1200-3000 m altitude. In Java, it is planted at 800-2000 m.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
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Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.12(1): Medicinal and poisonous plants 1.
