ESSENTIAL OILS. 83 



boiling aldehydes are pronounced, necessitating careful rectification. 

 E. Morrisii, the " Grey Mallee " of New South Wales, also yields a 

 large quantity of a Eucalyptol oil, which is also of good quality.^ 



In this connection certain oils obtainable from Melaleucas or 

 " Tea Trees " might be mentioned, which yield very rich cineol 

 (Eucalyptol) oils, especially M. trichostachya,^ a species found 

 over a great extent of country in New South Wales and Queensland, 

 which yields a water white oil, very rich in Cineol, and up to 2-6 

 per cent, in amount from commercially collected material. It does 

 not correspond to " Cajuput " although distilled from a Melaleuca, 

 btit approaches more closely to the better pharmaceutical Euca- 

 lyptus oils. 



5. — Phellandrene Oils. 



So far as at present known the commercial Phellandrene oils 

 obtainable from the Myrtaceae are restricted to that group of 

 Eucalyptus known vernacularly as " Peppermints." The leaves 

 of these species are characterised by a special venation, and they 

 often yield a large amount of oil. The name " Peppermint " was 

 originally given to these trees, owing to the presence in their oils 

 of a small quantity of ketone (Piperitone) which has a marked 

 peppermint odour and taste. The terpene phellandrene in 

 Eucalyptus oils is always laevorotatory, and in the species at the 

 extreme end of the group, as E. dives and E. radiata, forms the 

 greater portion of the oil. Eucalyptol is usually present in the 

 oils of this group, but often in such a small amount that it is difficult 

 to detect ; in the oil of E. amygdalina, however, it is present in 

 greater quantity, often up to 30 per cent. Until very recently the 

 phellandrene Eucalyptus oils were looked upon with great disfavour, 

 and were distinctly prohibited for pharmaceutical purposes. The 

 discovery by Mr. Lavers that a small quantity of phellandrene 

 Eucalyptus oil was an excellent means for separating metallic 

 sulphides from the gangue in tailings and other similar material, 

 has caused a great demand for these oils to arise, which demand 

 will probably increase considerably in the near future. It would 

 not be surprising if the amount required increased to 20 tons or 

 more per month, and the question then arises, can the supply of 

 this quantity be assured ? I am conviced that New South Wales 

 could alone supply that amount of phellandrene oils continuously. 

 Fortunately, the species which yield these oils occur in great quantity 

 over a large portion of the highlands of this State, and in localities 

 where the land is not likely for many years to be required for agri- 

 cultural purposes, as it is often comparatively of little use for any- 

 thing else except growing Eucalyptus trees. The species belonging 

 to this group, when cut back, quickly supply a fresh dense growth, 

 which in a year or two is ready to be again gathered, so that the 

 continuous supply of material is assured. Although the phel- 

 landrene oils are obtainable from natural growth in such large 



1 For further information regarding these species, see " Research on the Eucalvpts," Svdnev, 1902. 



2 Proc. Row Soc, N.S.W., Dec, 1910. 



