Abstract

HUAMAN, Lizeth; ALBAN, Joaquina  and  CHILQUILLO, Eder. Taxonomic aspects and advances in the knowledge of the current state of the Quina tree (Cinchona officinalis L) in the north of Peru. Ecol. apl. [online]. 2019, vol.18, n.2, pp.145-153. ISSN 1726-2216.  http://dx.doi.org/10.21704/rea.v18i2.1333.

The quinas or cascarillas (Cinchona L.: Rubiaceae) represent one of the emblematic plant resources of the Peruvian flora, due to its use as an antimalarial agent and the richness of species that occur in our Andean territory. Of the 23 species reported in the world, Cinchona officinalis L. is a species that is confused with C. capuli L. Andersson, C. lancifolia Mutis and C. macrocalyx Pav. ex DC. due to morphological similarity. The habitat where these species are found corresponds mainly to montane forests; and the majority are threatened by urban growth and deforestation. For these reasons, the objectives of the study were: to clarify taxonomic limits, corroborate the existence of C. officinalis in Peru, estimate its current state of conservation and analyze its potential habitat. The results provided details of the diagnostic characteristics existing in the literature, in order to distinguish Cinchona officinalis from C. capuli, C. lancifolia and C. macrocalyx. The review of exsicatas deposited in herbariums and field evaluations has confirmed their presence in Peru, specifically in the Piura region. The 23 presence reports, obtained to date, allowed to determine the extent of occurrence (EOO = 11 166.6 km²) and the area of occupation (AAO = 72 km²), both being values less than 20 000 km² of EOO and 500 km² of AOO. Field observations showed that burning and urban growth were latent threats to their habitat. Thus, it is stated that the current status of C. officinalis is Endangered (EN) according to the IUCN criteria (2012, Version 3.1; 2017, Version 13). Additionally, its habitat seems to be confined to the upper part of Piura and some small border areas of Cajamarca according to the Maxent algorithm (AUC = 997); and this should reflect the beginning of the execution of future plans for sustainable management and conservation.

Keywords : Cinchona officinalis; Quina; habitat; extent of occurrence; area of occupation; state of conservation.

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