40 A RESEARCH ON THE EUCALYPTS OF TASMANIA 



received at the Museum. The average yield of oil from 

 leaves and terminal branchlets was 0*897 per cent. The 

 crude oil was light-amber in colour, and had an odour 

 resembling that of the crude oil of K. globuluv. It was 

 fairly rich in eucalyptol, and contained dextro-rotatory 

 pinene, while phellandrene was absent. The saponifica- 

 tion number was somewhat high, and the oil. contained 

 rather a large amount of high boiling constituents. The 

 rectified oil had a distinctly yellow tinge. 



The crude oil had specific gravity at 15 = 0'9179 ; 

 rotation a D = + 3'1; refractive index at 18 = 1-4690 : 

 and was soluble in If volumes of 70 per cent, alcohol. On 

 the addition of about 10 volumes of this alcohol the oil 

 became again somewhat turbid, indicating the presence of 

 traces of the solid paraffin found in the oil of E '. acervula. 



On rectification, a small amount of acid water and some 

 volatile aldehydes, having an objectionable odour, came 

 over below 170 C. (corr.). Between 170-193 83 per 

 cent, distilled, and between 193-268 11 per cent, dis- 

 tilled, mostly above 260. These fractions gave the fol- 

 lowing results : 



8p. BT. at Ref. Index 



l.^C. Rotation a D . ftt 18o 



First fraction 0-9104 ... + 4-3 ... 1-4632 



Second fraction 0-9294 ... ... 1-4909 



The eucalyptol was determined in the first fraction by 

 the resorcinol method, with the result that 62 per cent, 

 of that constituent was shown to be present in the crude 

 oil. 



The saponification number for the ester and free acid 

 was ll'l. 



EUCALYPTUS URNIGERA, Hook. f. 



f" Urn Gum.") 



BOTANY. 



Historical. J. D. Hooker first, recorded this species in 

 1847, in his " London Journal of Botany " (VI. 477), 

 although it had previously been collected by Robert Brown 

 many years previously. 



Remarks. It is a species that is endemic to Tasmania, 

 and fortunately has no synonyms. The fruits are charac- 

 teristic, and so the specific name is a good one. Hooker 

 describes it as small, but Rodway refers to it in his " Flora 

 of Tasmania " as a " rather tall tree." 



