Cinchona
Sign in to saveCinchona (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae containing at least 23 species of trees and shrubs. All are native to the tropical Andean forests of western South America. A few species are reportedly naturalized in Central America, Jamaica, French Polynesia, Sulawesi, Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, and São Tomé and Príncipe off the coast of tropical Africa, and others have been cultivated in India and Java, where they have formed hybrids.
AI overview
Cinchona is a group of flowering trees and shrubs native to the tropical forests of the Andes in South America, with at least 23 different species. These plants have become important enough to cultivate in other parts of the world, including India and Java, where some species have even spread naturally or hybridized with other plants.
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Taxonomy · GBIF
GENUS
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderGentianales
- FamilyRubiaceae
via GBIF · CC0
Article
24 sectionsContents
- Etymology and common names
- Description
- History
- Early references
- Economic significance
- Impacts on Indigenous Communities in the Amazon
- Bioprospecting and Medicinal Plant Relationships
- Bioprospecting Revenue for Conservation Initiatives
- Usage of Indigenous Medicinal Plant Knowledge
- Western Medicine and Indigenous Society
- Ecology
- Cultivation and use
- Europe
- Homeopathy
- Widespread cultivation
- Chemistry
- Cinchona alkaloids
- Other chemicals
- Species
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
- Articles
Cinchona (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae containing at least 23 species of trees and shrubs. All are native to the tropical Andean forests of western South America. A few species are reportedly naturalized in Central America, Jamaica, French Polynesia, Sulawesi, Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, and São Tomé and Príncipe off the coast of tropical Africa, and others have been cultivated in India and Java, where they have formed hybrids.
Cinchona has been historically sought after for its medicinal value, as the bark of several species yields quinine and other alkaloids. Trees in the genus are also known as fever trees because of their antimalarial properties. These were the only effective treatments against malaria during the height of European colonialism, which made them of great economic and political importance. Europeans appropriated indigenous peoples' contributions to medicinal knowledge about cinchona, omitting them from scientific accounts. Mass production of quinine from cinchona funneled wealth to Europe and enforced colonial power dynamics in South America.