Strychnos chlorantha Progel
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Authority
Krukoff, Boris A. & Barneby, Rupert C. 1969. Supplementary notes on the American species of Strychnos. VIII. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 20: 1-93, IX. 94-99.
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Family
Loganiaceae
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Scientific Name
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Discussion
Lankester 1810 deposited with the Field Museum has a single almost mature fruit, which is small, ±2.5 cm in diam; shells about 7 mm thick; seeds ± 12; testa crustaceous. Costa Rica: Limon ("Chitaria, about 52 miles")- Lankester 1810 (F). The collector states on the label: ''large ligneous hanging vine." In our previous paper (7a: 20) reference is made to Humberto Barquero M. 101, a collection taken from the bush-rope from which extensive material was collected and sent to Prof. Paul Karrer for chemical studies. Since the publication of this paper, two more collections were made from the same bush-rope, one with immature flowers and another with mature flowers. This species was recently studied chemically and pharmacologically by Karrer, Schmid and their co-workers (92a). In the summary the authors state: ''Die Stammrinde enthielt nur verschiedene tertiare Basen; zwei derselben wurden massenspektrometrisch identifiziert: Acetyldiabolin (=Diacetyl-Wieland-Cumlich- Aldehyd) und Diabolin (N(a)-Acetyl-Wieland-Cumlich-Aldehyd). In der Wurbelrinde von S. chlorantha kamen neben tertiaren auch wenig quartary Alkaloide var. Sie besitzen nur geringe Curare-Wirkung und dlirften daher monoquartaren Charakter besitzen." Thus our suggestion in a previous paper (7a: 9 and 11) which is quoted below proved to be correct: "It is very regrettable that apparently practically all chemical studies (of American species of Strychnos) were done on the bark of stems (not on bark of roots.) ... It is quite likely that in the majority of the American species of Strychnos the root bark is the preferred source of the alkaloids with curarizing activity and therefore it is obvious that until it is studied chemically (and until the seeds of the same species are also studied), no complete picture on the alkaloids in a given species could be obtained."