190 



PLATE LVI 



REMARKS. Hi' 1 ucalypl is one of the " Mallees " occurring between the Lachlan ami Murrum- 

 bidgee Rivers, New South Wal s, where it is known as Blue Mallee," to distinguish it from its congeners. 

 The dried herbarium material requires care in leparating from thai of /-.'. viridis, R.T H , and E. Woollsiana, R.T.B. 

 ]h, type torum is lost according to Mr. J. H. Maiden (Crit. Rev. Gen. Enc., Vol. II. 



p |, ,1, His statement (Proi K<>\ Soc Vict., Vol 26, p 199) •" Having found Mueller's fruticeiorum (not type, 

 for that is lost) but the iK\t best thing a specimen certified by the describer," can have but little specific botanical 

 [he specimen we have seen in the Melbourne Herbarium, under that name is a recent piece of 



\ Iin ; to Mr. J II Maiden, the original description of E. fruticeiorum was in manuscript, and was 



published in type in Mueller's Fragmenta, ii., 57. One has only to compare tins description and the localities 

 given, with those of 1 ilise that the two are quite distinct. 



ESSENTIAL OIL. It was in December, 1900, that we first obtained, 

 from Wvalong, New Smith Wales, material for distillation of this " Mallee." At 

 that time, practically nothing was known in this State of its possibilities as an 



oil producing species, and it was 

 even scientificallv undescribed. 

 The material we received was from 

 old trees, no abnormal leaves being 

 present, so that a minimum yield 

 of oil was obtained at that time, 

 and also an excess of aromadendral. 

 During later years large quantities 

 of oil have been distilled from this 

 Eucalypt in the Wyalong district, 

 so that the knowledge as to its cap- 

 abilities for oil production is now 

 extensive ; the constitution and 

 value of the oil are also well 

 known. E. polybractea is a well 

 defined species, and has long ago 

 been stabilised, consequently the 

 oil is constant in composition, and 

 of a very definite character. 



We give here the results of 

 the first investigation on the oil of 

 this species, as published in the 

 first edition of this work, as it 

 may well be of historic interest, 

 Eucalyptus polybractea being one 

 of the most important of all the 

 species for the production of a rich 

 cineol oil. 



The leaves and branchlets 

 were collected as would be done 

 for commercial purposes. The 

 yield of oil was 1-35 per cent. The 

 crude oil was but little coloured, 

 of a lemon tint. The odour 

 that of the better class 



being 

 was 



E POLYBRACTEA. R.T.B. 



of cineol-pinene Eucalvptus oils 

 blue mallee. generallv, and it gave a secondary 



one indicating aromadendral. The 

 amount of volatile aldehvdes, esters and free acid, was almost at a minimum. 

 Pinene was present, but phellandrene was absent. The oil was very rich in 

 cineol, and contained aromadendral, to the presence of which the laevo-rotation 

 of the oil was due ; this is also shown by the left rotation of the crude oil being 

 greater than that of the rectified portion. 



