Cinchona, the source of quinine, was of great commercial importance and Europeans had been investigating it for nearly two hundred years with the goal of cultivating it in regions far removed from the Andes mountains. Weddell explored a number of regions where the trees grew and identified no fewer than fifteen distinct species of the genus Cinchona (Rubiaceae).
Cinchona, a source of quinine, was commercially significant for Europeans who had been investigating its cultivation for nearly two centuries in locations far from the Andes mountains. Weddell explored various regions where the trees grew and identified at least fifteen distinct species of the genus Cinchona (Rubiaceae).