The single species, Streptosolen jamesonii,[1] the marmalade bush or fire bush,[3] is an evergreen shrub bearing loose clusters of flowers which change gradually from yellow to red as they develop, resulting in an overall appearance resembling orange marmalade (whence the name), found in open woodlands in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Peru.

[5][6] The iridescent green hummingbird species Chlorostilbon poortmani, the short-tailed emerald, is a frequent visitor to the flowers of Streptosolen jamesonii, pollinating them as it hovers to sip their nectar.

[17][18] For the opportunity of figuring this very interesting plant we are indebted to Messrs. Veitch and Son, by whom it was lately introduced, and in whose nursery it was blooming profusely in June, 1848.

[19]Thus, Sir Joseph Paxton in volume 16 of Paxton's Magazine of Botany... in which he demonstrates a measure of confusion regarding the locality in which Lobb collected S. jamesonii - not least as to the country involved, which was Ecuador, not Peru - a fact which may be established from a) the proximity to the Gulf of Guayaquil b) the reference to Cuenca (there is both a city and a canton of Cuenca in Ecuador, but not in Peru) and c) that there is no place name Molitre in South America, but there is a canton named Salitre in the region of southern Ecuador suggested by the other evidence presented by Paxton.

Rios et al. (2017) list Streptosolen jamesonii as being included among the herbs used to prepare the tonic drink because of its alleged anti-inflammatory properties.

[8] In the district of Ayabaca in the Piura Region in the northern Peruvian Andes, S. jamesonii - known locally by the name San Juan (="Saint John") - is used as a pediatric anthelmintic.

This must be drunk on an empty stomach to kill or stun the worms, followed by the taking of a purge - usually Huaminga - to cause the expulsion of the parasites from the bowels.

If about 50 g of the whole plant of this species is ground and boiled in a litre of water, until the volume is reduced to 250ml, a cupful of resulting decoction, consumed after cooling, acts a drastic purgative.

It also increases intestinal motility through overall parasympathetic stimulation of the GI tract,[22] which, in combination with its toxicity to parasitic worms,[23] could account for the use of Streptosolen as an anthelmintic.

Anabasine is the active principle responsible for deaths from poisoning caused by the leaves of Nicotiana glauca, the Tree Tobacco.

Recently, anabasine-related alkaloids have also been isolated from the venom of an ant belonging to the genus Aphaenogaster and a marine nematode worm.

[22] Streptosolen jamesonii (common name Guizcho del bosque) 'Can be used as an emergency food for cattle when the pasture is bad'.