662 Floristik, Geographie, S3'stematik etc. 



and allied substances 2-468 per cent., calcium Oxalate and other sub- 

 stances soluble in acid 0-57 per cent, and cellulose, &c., 1.343 per 

 cent. The total nitrogen was 0-138 per cent., and the carbonated ash 

 1-276 per cent. The presence of raphides of calcium Oxalate was 

 most pronounced, and no better substance is probabl}?- obtainable in 

 which to demonstrate the occurrence of raphides in plants; these 

 occur largel)^ in bundles of needles in the cells. The most pronounced 

 substance in this enlarged root stock was a vegetable mucilage, 

 having all the characteristics of these mucilages generally, and was 

 shown to consist largely of organic salts of Potassium and Magnesium. 

 Only a very small amount of starch was detected, and as iodine 

 colours alone the starch, the granules were easily shown. Inulin 

 does not occur. The sugar was isolated and crystallised, and found 

 to be dextrose. Alumina occurs in the ash, and special care was 

 taken to prevent any contamination from impurities. From the results 

 a close affinity between the carbohydrates of this "tuber," and those 

 belonging to the true gums, is shown, and the alteration products 

 are more in the direction of the sugars than the starches. No 

 tanriins could be detected, with the usual reagents. A search was 

 made amongst the literature of the European Vitis, but no mention 

 could be found of such a root character as described in this paper, 

 and Mr. M. Blunno, Vine Expert to the Department of Agriculture , 

 Sydney, informs me that "he has never come across anj^ such 

 formation." The credit of bringing these "tubers" under our notice 

 is due to Mr. B. E. Sampson, Superior Public School, Tamworth, 

 who has supplied the whole of the material for this research. Some 

 opinions concerning the functions of these bodies are advanced by 

 the authors. Autorreferat. 



Baker, R. T. and H. G. Smith, The australian Melaleiicas and 

 their essential oils. (Abstr. Proc.roy.Soc. N.S.Wales Aug. 1. 1906.) 



In Ulis series of papers on the Melaleiicas and their essential 

 oils, of which this is the first, it is the authors' intention to follow 

 out this research on the same lines as that adopted in the work on 

 Eucalypts and their essential oils. Bulk material has been employed 

 in obtaining the results given in the paper. The Melaleiicas are 

 commonl}' known as „Tea Trees," and are distributed throughout 

 the whole continent of Australia, and so are familiär plants in the 

 bush. Two species lorm the subject of this paper, viz., M . thymifolia , 

 Sm., M. linaviifoUa , Sm. The tormer is a common shrub, about 2 

 to 3 feet in height, occurring plentifully in swampy land in the 

 neighbourhood of Port Jackson, the pretty purple flowers giving 

 it a distinguishing character in the bush. Its only technological 

 feature is the oil obtained from its small leaves, which only show 

 the oil glands on the underside. The histology of the leaf is fully 

 described, and figured in the paper. The palisade parenchyma 

 is strongl}^ deveioped on the ventral side, and the oil glands are 

 found to occur irregularly in the leaf tissue towards the dorsal 

 surface. The yield of oil from the leaves and terminal branchlets of 

 Melaleiica thyniifoUa was 2*28 per cent., obtained from material col- 

 lected in the month of April. The crude oil was slightlj^ yellowish 

 in tint. while the rectified oil was colourless. In appearance, odour 

 and taste it differed but slightl}'' from those of Eucalj^ptus oils, which 

 are rieh in eucai3'ptoI, and which do not contain either the aldeh)'dc 

 aromadendral or the terpene phellandrene. The oil was rieh incineol, 



