Cinchona lancifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is a tree with papery leaves, purplish flowers, and capsule fruits. The species is native to Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, and was described in 1793.
Taxonomy
The species was described by José Celestino Mutis in 1793.
Distribution
Cinchona lancifolia is native to the wet tropical biome of Colombia, Ecuador (Tungurahua), and Venezuela (Mérida, Táchira, and Trujillo). The species is present at elevations of 1,680–2,900 metres (5,510–9,510 ft).
Description
Cinchona lancifolia is a tree. It grows up to 15 metres (49 ft) high, and is around 20 centimetres (0.66 ft) wide.
The leaf stems are 0.3–7 centimetres (0.12–2.76 in) long. The leaves are thinly papery when dry, elliptic to obovate, 6.3–15 centimetres (2.5–5.9 in) long, and 2.7–5.6 centimetres (1.1–2.2 in) wide. The leaves normally have domatia. The leaf edges are slightly rolled down.
The calyx is 2.5–4.8 millimetres (0.098–0.189 in) long, and has 0.8–1.4 millimetres (0.031–0.055 in) lobes. The corolla is purplish, 8.3–12 millimetres (0.33–0.47 in), and has 3.2–4.8 millimetres (0.13–0.19 in) long lobes.
Fruits
The fruits are dehiscent, ellipsoid to subglobose capsules. The capsules are 10–28 millimetres (0.39–1.10 in) long, 5–7 millimetres (0.20–0.28 in) wide, and have a firm papery endocarp. The seeds are 7–11 millimetres (0.28–0.43 in) long, and 1.8–4.6 millimetres (0.071–0.181 in) wide.
