Cinchona
(named after Countess de Chinchon, wife of a Governor of Peru, who was cured of a fever in 1638 by this remedy). Peruvian Bark. ORD. Rubiaceae. South American trees, from which various kinds of Peruvian bark are obtained. Flowers white or reddish; inflorescence panicled. Leaves on stout petioles, with flat margins; stipules ovate or oblong, foliaceous, free, deciduous. These greenhouse evergreens are of the utmost importance, medicinally, and for this purpose their culture is of primary importance in India and many other tropical countries. They are rarely grown in this country, not being particularly ornamental. The best compost is a mixture of turfy loam and fibry peat, with a little sand and charcoal. Cuttings should be taken off when ripe, and planted in a pot of sand, which should be plunged, under a hand glass, in a moist heat.
C. Calisaya. Calisaya Bark. fl. pink. l. oval-oblong, shortly acuminate. h. 30ft. to 40ft. Andes of Peru.
C. lanceolata (lanceolate). A synonym of C. officinalis. C. officinalis (officinal). fl. very pale rose-colour, supported on pedicels, which are powdered and silky, as well as the calyx; the tube of the corolla is silky, and the border white and woolly above; panicle bracteate, much branched, smooth. l. oval-lanceolate, acute, naked on both surfaces, as well as the branches, shining. h. 30ft. to 40ft. Peru. SYN. C. lanceolata. Among other species of this genus are: condaminea, cordifolia, microphylla, nitida, and scabra.