Cinchona species are tender, evergreen trees varying in height, according to species and habitat, from 10-25 m (30-80 ft.). The oval leaves are often red-veined and small, crimson flowers are borne in panicles.
History and traditions
Said to be named after the Countess of Chinchon, wife of the Viceroy of Peru, after she had been cured of a fever (probably malaria) with a cinchona bark medicine in about 1638.
Growth
In the wild, trees occur in dense, wet forest. Commercial plantations provide well-drained, moist soil and high humidity. Propagated by cuttings.
Uses
Medicinal
Cinchona bark contains the antimalarial alkaloid, quinine, as well as quinidine, which slows the heart rate. It was the major treatment for malaria from the mid-17th century until recently, now largely replaced for this purpose by synthetic drugs. It is still an ingredient of many pharmaceutical preparations for colds and influenza, and of tonic water.
