AND THEIR ESSENTIAL OILS. 63 



fo^ The oil of the Tasmanian tree closely approaches 

 in chemical composition that of K. dives, 

 Sch. 



Labillardier's name for the Tasmanian tree must, of 

 course, stand, as that has priority, and to us it appears 

 too late in the day to alter the specific appellation of the 

 other ; but if a systematic distinction is necessary in future, 

 we would suggest that it might be known, to botanists at 

 least, as K. amygdalina, var. Australiana. This form is 

 faithfully figured by Mueller in his " Eucalyptographia," 

 and is also illustrated by us in our work " Eucalypts and 

 Their Essential Oils" (p. 168). The varieties recorded 

 by Bentham, we find, belong to K. Eisdoni rather than 

 K. amygdalina. 



CHEMISTRY. 



Essential Oil. Material of this species known as 

 l( Black Peppermint" was received from various local- 

 ities in Tasmania, collected at various times of the year, in 

 order that definite conclusions might be formed as to the 

 specific differences between the oil of K. amygdalina of 

 Tasmania and that of the tree known in New South 

 Wales and Victoria as E. amygdalina. Although the 

 general character of the oil of the Tasmanian tree places 

 it in the "amygdalina group " of these oils, yet it differs 

 considerably from that of the New South Wales form, and 

 more closely approaches in constituents and physical pro- 

 perties the oil of K. dives, with the exception that the 

 Tasmanian K . amygdalina contains a little more eucalyptol 

 than does that of E. dives. Commercially the oil could be 

 utilised for purposes similar to those to which that of E. 

 dive x is put, but it would not pay to submit it to fractional 

 distillation in order to separate the eucalyptol portion, as 

 is now often carried out with the oil of the New South 

 AVales form, any more than it would pay to do so with the 

 oil of E. dives. The yield of oil of the New South Wales 

 form of E. amygdalina is almost twice that obtained with 

 the Tasmanian trees, and even E. dires appears to yield 

 a greater quantity of oil than does the E. amygdalina of 

 Tasmania. The oil of the Tasmanian E. amygdalina 

 differs from that of the New South Wales form in that it 

 contains much less eucalyptol, has a very high laevo-rota- 

 tion, contains more phellandrene, and is much less soluble 

 in alcohol. The odour of the oil is also much less aro- 

 matic. 



