204 PHILIPPINE RESINS, GUMS, AND OILS 



CINNAMON 



The bark of this species is collected and sold as cinnamon of 

 commerce. 



Bacon * examined the bark, and reported as follows : 



* * * The tree is very close to Cimiamomum zeylanicum Nees and 

 the bark in appearance, taste, and odor is just like the cinnamon of com- 

 merce. Fifty kilos of the ground bark were distilled with steam, yielding 

 200 grams of oil of a yellow color and of a strong cinnamon odor and 

 taste. 



This probably does not represent by any means all of the oil which it 

 is possible to obtain by commercial distillation from this bark, the propor- 

 tion being less because of the small amount of material at my disposal. 



SO' 

 The oil had the following properties: Refractive index, N^ 1.5300; optical 



rotation, A^-7.9; specific gravity, |? 0.960. 



Ten grams of the oil gave 9.2 grams of the dry sodium bisulphite com- 

 pound of cinnamic aldehyde, corresponding to an aldehyde content of ap- 

 proximately 60 per cent. 



This oil does not agree very closely in its physical properties with the 

 Ceylon cinnamon oil from C. zeylanicum. 



Cimiamomum mindanaense is usually a small tree, about 10 

 meters in height. The leaves are opposite or sub-opposite, smooth, 

 leathery, pointed at both ends, and from 7 to 15 centimeters in 

 length. The flowers are greenish, about 5 millimeters long, and 

 borne on compound inflorescences. The fruits when mature are 

 shining steel-blue, 1.25 centimeters long, and 7.5 millimeters in 

 width. 



This species is known only from Mindanao, where it is fairly 

 abundant in some places. 



Family LEGUMINOSAE 



Genus ACACIA 

 ACACIA FARNESIANA Willd. (Fig. 66). Cassie FLOWER or Aroma, 



CASSIE-FLOWER OIL 



A gum which resembles gum arable exudes from the bark of 

 this tree. The flowers are known commercially as cassie flowers. 

 Acacia faimesiana is grown extensively in France for the fra- 

 grant perfume obtained from the flowers. The odor of this 

 perfume resembles that of violets, but is more intense. Piesse t 

 states that cassie perfume is one of those fine odors which are 



* Bacon, R. F., Philippine terpenes and essential oils, IV. Philippine 

 Journal of Science, Section A, Volume 5 (1910), page 257. 

 t Piesse, C. H., Art of perfumery, (1891). 



