[Pkoc. Roy. Soc. Victoria, 26 (N.S.), I't. II.. li»l-t_;. 



Akt. XXl.ll. -7'Ac E.ssentlid Oil from the leaves of Ayonls^ 

 fiexuosa. 



iJv W. K. PAIiKY, l'..Sc. 



(Victoriiin Cioverninent Kesearch Scholar). 

 [Read 11th December, l9Vi]. 



Ayonis fltd'uosa, D.C. (N.O. MyrtaceaeJ is a tree of low but ver}^ 

 foliaceous appearance abounding in South-Western Australia, where 

 it is known as " Willow Myrtle,'' or sometimes as " Peppermint." 



Being somewhat ornamental, it is frequently grown in streets with, 

 species of eucalypts. 



The narrow, coriaceous leaves are covered with numerous oil- 

 glands, and when crushed emit an odour similar to that from many 

 species of eucalpts. 



Baron von Mueller in describing this tree in his " Select Extra- 

 Tropical Plants.'' mentions that it j-ields an oil of " high antiseptic- 

 value.'' but no record has been found of any systematic examina- 

 tion of this oil, and the present paper aims at doing for this im- 

 portant oil-yielding tree what has already been done for most of oui- 

 eucalypts. 



By courtesy of Mr. J. Cronin, the director, supplies of the leaves 

 were obtained from the Melbourne Botanic Gardens. Although the- 

 trees there are not in their natural habitat, the conditions of growth 

 were not considered sufficiently abnormal to have any appreciable 

 effect on the oil; in fact, it is probable that, as in the eucalypts, 

 species is the naain factor determining the character of the oil, and 

 that climate, soil, etc., have but little effect. The age of the tree and 

 the season of collection do, however, appear to have some slight 

 influence on the yield and composition of the oil. 



For this reason supplies of leaves were obtained at different 

 seasons of the year; the first in March, 1913 — early autumn — and 

 the second in July. 1913 — mid-winter. The former was distilled the- 

 day after cutting, and the second after a delay of about a week. 

 This delay has been shown, by experiments carried out in connec- 

 tion with a similar investigation, to be of much less consequence 

 than might be supposed. 



