Cinchona anderssonii is a species of flowering plant in the family Rubiaceae. It is a shrub or tree, with two types of flowers, and capsule fruits. The leaves have small chambers for arthropods.
Cinchona anderssonii is endemic to Bolivia, and is listed as Endangered by the IUCN. It was described in 2017, and named after the botanist Lennart Andersson.
Taxonomy The species was described by Carla Maldonado in 2017.
The type locality is in Madidi National Park, La Paz, Bolivia.
Distribution Cinchona anderssonii is endemic to the Yungas region of Bolivia. The species grows in cloud forests, at elevations of . It is known from two locations - Pelechuco, and the Cochabamba Department.
Description Cinchona anderssonii is a shrub or tree up to tall. The bark turns red when damaged, and has a bitter taste.
The leaves are elliptical, glossy on the upper surface, long, and wide. They are leathery when fresh, and papery when dry. The leaf stems are long. The leaves have domatia (small chambers that may be occupied by arthropods).
The inflorescences are panicles. The flowers have two forms. One form has short styles, and the other has long styles.
The short-styled flowers have an ellipsoid hypanthium, which is long, and long. The calyx is long. The calyx has triangular lobes, which are long. The corolla is pinkish, and has a tube. The corolla has five triangular lobes, which are long.
The long-styled flowers are not known. Flowering specimens have been collected in May and June.
The fruits are ellipsoid capsules, which are long, and wide. The capsules are dehiscent, and the valves open when dry. The seeds are long, and wide. The endocarp is papery, and thick.
Cinchona anderssonii is similar to Cinchona macrocalyx, though the species differ in the details of their leaves and capsules. C. anderssonii is also similar to Cinchona krauseana, though C. krauseana has smaller seeds, and lacks domatia. C. anderssonii is similar to Cinchona hirsuta, though the domatia are in different locations in each species.
Phytochemistry Cinchona anderssonii contains alkaloids, which may have anti-malarial properties.
Conservation In 2022, the IUCN assessed Cinchona anderssonii as Endangered. It is threatened by habitat loss and mining.
Names The specific epithet is in honour of the Swedish botanist Lennart Andersson, who wrote a monograph on Cinchona.
In Spanish, the species is known as .
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