Cinchona pubescens hence its nickname the red quinine tree. Its flowers form in large panicles. They are pink and fragrant, while in the Galapagos they are light pink. "C. pubescens" has the widest distribution of all "Cinchona" species, with the native range spanning Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. In Ecuador it is distributed within an altitude from . It also grows well in volcanic soil with high nutrient levels. C. pubescens is a resilient species that is able to recover from even extreme damage. If the tree is felled but the stump is left, it can grow back
Cinchona a strong decoction of the cinchona bark served with wine. Wine was used because some alkaloids of the cinchona bark are not soluble in water, but are soluble in the ethanol in wine. In 1681 "Água de Inglaterra" was introduced into Portugal from England by Dr. Fernando Mendes who, similarly, “received a handsome gift from (King Pedro) on condition that he should reveal to him the secret of its composition and withhold it from the public”. In 1738, "Sur l'arbre du quinquina", a paper written by Charles Marie de La Condamine, lead member of the expedition, along with Pierre Godin