Several mature cinchona plants, once believed extinct in Sri Lanka, have been rediscovered after 150 years in Unanagala, located on the western slopes of the Aliyagala Mountain Range in Ambagamuwa.
Environmentalist Laxman Kumara, who led the research team, stated that six healthy cinchona plants were found growing at an elevation of approximately 742 metres above sea level.
Cinchona, native to the Andes in South America, was first introduced to Sri Lanka by the British in 1861 and cultivated in areas such as the Haggala Botanical Gardens. However, it was abandoned shortly after, with only one known plant preserved at Haggala until now.
The rediscovery is considered significant due to the plant’s medicinal value—its bark is a source of quinine, historically one of the most effective treatments for malaria.
Kumara noted that the reappearance of these plants, once thought extinct locally, highlights the resilience of native ecosystems and the need for conservation, especially as secondary forests threaten biodiversity following the loss of primary forests.
He also expressed hope that more cinchona specimens may still survive in Sri Lanka’s central highlands.
