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Cinchona officinalis
Rubiaceae FAMILY

Cinchona officinalis

Cinchona officinalis

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
5/5

Safety & Hazards

Care must be taken in the use of this herb since excess can cause a number of side effects including cinchonism, headache, rash, abdominal pain, deafness and blindness[1]. The herb, especially in the form of the extracted alkaloid quinine, is subject to legal restrictions in some countries[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
Growth—

A plant of the moist tropics, where it is found at elevations from 1,500 - 3,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 14 - 23°c, but can tolerate 7 - 27°c[2]. It can be killed by temperatures of 7°c or lower[2]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,500 - 3,500mm, but tolerates 1,400 - 4,000mm[2]. Requires a well-drained, moist soil and a position in full sun or partial shade[1, 2]. It grows very poorly or not at all on soils that have been exposed to fire[2]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.3, tolerating 4.8 - 7[2]. Plants start flowering after 3 - 4 years, and are uprooted and harvested after 8 - 12 years[2]. In commercial plantations, the trees are coppiced when about 6 years old[1].

Propagation

Seed - Nodal softwood cuttings[3]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood in a sandy soil[3]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cinchona+officinalis>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  2. [2]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants — Chevallier. A. · Dorling Kindersley. London · 1996 · ISBN 9-780751-303148 ↩︎An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
  5. [5]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.