Cinchona, << sihn KOH nuh, >> is a South American tree valued for its bark. The bark of a cinchona is called Jesuits’ bark, cardinal’s bark, or sacred bark. The bark is used to make the drugs quinine, quinidine, and cinchonidine, with which doctors treat malaria. The cinchona is an evergreen. Cinchona plants were first found in Peru and Ecuador. They are now grown in India, Sri Lanka, eastern and southeastern Asia, tropical America, and parts of Africa. The flowers are usually fragrant. They vary from rose-purple to greenish-white and look like lilac blossoms. There are several species (kinds) of cinchona.
