Cinchona nitida

Cinchona nitida
Illustration of a plant with a thick brown trunk, dark green leaves, and small pink flowers
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Gentianales
Family: Rubiaceae
Genus: Cinchona
Species:
C. nitida
Binomial name
Cinchona nitida
Synonyms
  • Cinchona lancifolia var. nitida (Ruiz & Pav.) Schult.
  • Cinchona peruviana var. nitida (Ruiz & Pav.) Howard
  • Cinchona discolor Klotzsch
  • Cinchona stenosiphon K.Krause

Cinchona nitida is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is a shrub or tree with pink flowers and capsule fruits. The species is native to Peru.

Cinchona nitida was described in 1799, and is listed as Endangered by the IUCN.

Taxonomy

The species was described by Hipólito Ruiz López and José Antonio Pavón Jiménez in 1799. Paul Carpenter Standley treated Cinchona nitida as a synonym of Cinchona officinalis.: 36 

Distribution

Cinchona nitida is native to the wet tropical biome of Huánuco, Peru. It grows mainly in elfin forests and boggy areas,: 36  at elevations of 1,500–3,000 metres (4,900–9,800 ft).

Description

Cinchona nitida is a shrub or tree that grows up to 9 metres (30 ft) high.: 36 

The leaves are obovate, more or less papery when dry, 5.6–16 centimetres (2.2–6.3 in) long, 2.2–6.5 centimetres (0.87–2.56 in) wide, and sometimes have small, indistinct domatia. The leaf stems are 0.6–1.9 centimetres (0.24–0.75 in) long.: 36 

The calyx is 2.5–2.9 millimetres (0.098–0.114 in) long, and has triangular, 1.1–1.3 millimetres (0.043–0.051 in) long lobes. The corolla is a pinkish tube, measuring 14–15 millimetres (0.55–0.59 in) long, and has 4–6.1 millimetres (0.16–0.24 in) long lobes.: 36 

The fruits are dehiscent capsules, measuring 12–23 millimetres (0.47–0.91 in) long, and 4–5 millimetres (0.16–0.20 in) wide. The endocarp is papery. The seeds are irregularly oblong, 6.1–7.9 millimetres (0.24–0.31 in) long, and 1.5–1.6 millimetres (0.059–0.063 in) wide.: 36 

Conservation

In 2022, the IUCN assessed Cinchona nitida as Endangered.

Nomenclature

In Spanish, the species is known as Árbol de las Calenturas, Quina, Cascarilla Roja del Cusco, Cascarilla Roja, Cascarilla Lustrosa, or Cascarilla.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Alban-Castillo, J.; Cruz-Rios, I.; Vasquez-Bautista, W. (2024). "Cascarilla". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (in Spanish). 2024 e.T223791559A223791745. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-1.RLTS.T223791559A223791745.es. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
  2. 1 2 3 "Cinchona nitida". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
  3. ↑ "Cinchona nitida Ruiz & Pav". International Plant Names Index (IPNI). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria & Libraries; Australian National Botanic Gardens.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Andersson, Lennart (30 January 1998). A revision of the genus Cinchona (Rubiaceae-Cinchoneae). Bronx, N.Y., U.S.A: New York Botanical Garden. ISBN 0893274178. Retrieved 6 September 2026.
  5. ↑ "Cinchona nitida Ruiz & Pav". CatalogueOfLife.org. Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 6 September 2026.

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