145 



REMARKS. The shining " Poplar-leaved Box" was confounded by Bentham, B.F1., iii, p. 214, with E. 

 polyant/icnios (probably including also E. Plctcheri, R.T.B., and E. ovali/olia, R.T.B.), but all these trees we regard 

 as quite distinct, as they differ in the bark, timber, leaves, and chemical constituents. It occurs in the 

 dry interior of the Continent, whilst the others above enumerated are confined to the Coast and tableland. Mueller 

 figures this species in his Eitcalvptographia, but it is again here delineated in order to show the variability of its 

 foliage, which is not illustrated by Mueller (loc. cit.), and also on account of its being a good cineol-yielding "species. 

 The timber is hard, interlocked, and reddish in colour. 



ESSENTIAL OIL. Leaves and terminal branchlets for distillation were 

 obtained from Nyngan, N.S.W., in November, 1899. The yield of oil was 0-66 

 per cent. The crude oil was yellowish-brown ; n colour, and had an odour 

 resembling those of the cineol-pinene > class. Cineol was present in quantity, 

 together with pinene.. but phellandrene was absent. The higher boiling portion 

 contained the sesquiterpene. The crude oil became turbid on keeping, and 

 eventually deposited a sediment, as do many of the oils belonging to this class. 



The crude oil had specific gravity at 15 C. = 0-9207; rotation D + 0-4; 

 refractive index at 20 = 1-4652, and was soluble : n i-| volumes 70 per cent, 

 alcohol. The saponification number for the esters and free acid was I-Q. 



On rectification, 2 per cent, distilled below 170 C. (corr.). Between 170- 

 183, 90 per cent, distilled; between 183-255, only a few drops came over; 

 between 255-265, 4 per cent, distilled. These fractions gave the following 

 results : 



First fraction, sp. gr. at 15 C. = 0-9177 ; rotation a D + 5-96. 

 Second ,, ,, ,, = 0-9259; ,, not taken. 



The cineol, determined by the phosphoric acid method in the crude oil, 

 was 62 per cent. (O.M.) 



The oil of this species is one of the best of the cineol-pinene group, but 

 unfortunately the yield is not large. 



Material from this species was received from Gunbar, N.S.W., in December, 

 1900. With the exception that the yield was rather larger, the oils were practi- 

 cally identical ; both were heavy oils, rich in cineol, had slight rotation, showed 

 the presence of pinene and absence of phellandrene. The yield of oil was 

 0-86 per cent. Specific gravity of the crude oil = 0-923; and optical rotation a D 

 4- 1-2. The cineol was determined by the phosphoric acid method in the crude 

 , oil ; the result was 57 per cent. (O.M.). The crude oil formed a clear solution 

 with ij volumes 70 per rent, alcohol. 



The above samples were mixed together and stored in the dark, and in 

 August, 1919, the oil was again analysed. The alteration which had taken place 

 in the oil during the nineteen years it had been kept, was in the direction of an 

 increased cineol content ; otherwise not much difference was observed. 86 per 

 cent, distilled below 190 C. The crude oil and the rectified portion gave the 

 following results : 



Crude oil, sp. gr. at 15 C. 0-9352; rotation a D + 0-4; refractive 



index at 20 = 1-4656. 

 Rectified portion ,, = 0-92.27; rotation a D + 1-4; refractive 



index at 20 = 1-4602. 



The cineol was determined by the resorcinol method in the rectified 

 portion and calculated for the crude oil ; the result was 77 per cent. By the 

 rapid phosphoric acid method it was 70 per cent, when calculated for the original 

 oil. Terpineol was detected in the rectified portion. 



