Kunain / Red Cinchona
Cinchona succirubra
- Habit
- Tree
- Native to
- Ecuador
- Flowering
- February-December
How to identify Kunain
Identify Kunain by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Confirm leaf shape: Elliptic.
- Confirm leaf surface: Pubescent.
- Confirm flower colour: Pink.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Panicle.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: February-December.
- Confirm it sits within the Rubiaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Kunain.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Cinchona succirubra
- Genus
- Cinchona
- Family
- Rubiaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Cultivated
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Ecuador
- Distribution
- Introduced in the old world Tropics
- Flowering & fruiting
- February-December
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- EllipticrecordedWidest at the middle, tapering evenly at both ends.“Leaves are elliptical to oblate and thin.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- PubescentrecordedCovered in short, soft hairs.“The leaves have pubescent teeth that turn red when they are older, hence its nickname the red quinine tree.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Opposite
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kunain itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Pinkrecorded
- Flower arrangement
- PaniclerecordedA branching cluster of clusters.“Its flowers form in large panicles.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Cyme
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kunain itself; the rest are typical of the Rubiaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- कुनैन Kunain
- Kannada
- ಬಾರಕಿನ Barakina
- Malayalam
- കൊയിനാ Koyina, Kvayna, Sinkona
- Sanskrit
- कुनायना Kunayana, कुनायनः Kunayanah, Sinkona
- Tamil
- சிந்கொநா Chinkona, Curappattai, கொயிமா Koyina
- Telugu
- జ్వారపత్తా Jvarapatta
About Kunain
Red cinchona (Cinchona succirubra) belongs to the Rubiaceae family, where it grows as a tree. It is native to Ecuador. It is cultivated. Flowering and fruiting run from February to December.
Uses
It is long used in traditional medicine. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.
Rubiaceae
Coffee/Madder family
Kunain belongs to the Rubiaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Rubiaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Kunain or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides