The Structure of Quassin and Neoquassin

Abstract

The term "quasia", as employed in the entomological and medical literature, may refer to either of two plants, both members of the family Simaroubaceae. Quassia amara Linn. (Surinam quassia) is a small shrub found in the West Indies and some South American tropical countries. The generic name of the plant is derived from the name of a negro, Quassi, who in the middle of the eightennth centure acquired a reputation for treating malignant fevers with an extract of the wood. This Surinam quassia is now largely replaced in use by Jamaica quassia (Quassia excelsa Swartz), which is a taller tree (one hundred feet or more) occurring more abundantly throughout the West Indies.