Cinchona
| Cinchona | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Cinchona pubescens - flowers | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Rubiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cinchonoideae |
| Tribe: | Cinchoneae |
| Genus: |
Cinchona L. |
| Type species | |
|
Cinchona officinalis L. |
|
| Species | |
|
about 38 species; see text |
|
about 38 species; see text
Cinchona (/sɪŋˈkoʊnə/ or /-kəʊnə/) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rubiaceae containing at least 23 species of trees and shrubs. They 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 Tome & Principe off the coast of tropical Africa. A few species are used as medicinal plants, known as sources for quinine and other compounds.
Linnaeus named the genus in 1742 after Ana de Osorio, the 4th Countess of Chinchón and wife of a viceroy of Peru. According to some accounts, she suffered from malaria and was cured by a botanical remedy made of the powdered bark of a native tree. The veracity of the story is uncertain, but the tree still carries her name.
The National Tree of Peru is in the genus Cinchona.
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Wikipedia