i go 



PLATE LVI. 





REMARKS. This Eucalypt is one of the "Malices" occurring between the Lachlan and Murrum- 

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

 The dried herbarium material requires care in separating from that of E. viridis, R.T.B., and E. Woollsiana, R.T.B. 

 The type specimen of E. fruticetorum is lost according to Mr. J. H. Maiden (Crit. Rev. Gen. Euc., Vol. II. 

 p 40-41) His statement (Prcc. Roy. Soc. Viet., Vol. 26, p. 299)" Having found Mueller's /ruticetomm (not type, 

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

 weight. The specimen we have seen in the Melbourne Herbarium, under that name is a recent piece of 

 E. polybractea. According to Mr.-J H. Maiden, the original description of E. /ntticetorum was in manuscript, and was 

 published in type in Mueller's Fragmenta, ii., 57- O ne has onl >' to compare this description and the localities 

 given, with those of E. polybractea to realise that the two are quite distinct. 



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

 from Wyalong, New South 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 scientifically 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, 

 being of a lemon tint. The odour 

 was that of the better class 

 of cineol-pinene Eucalyptus oils 

 generally, and it gave a secondary 

 one indicating aromadendral. The 

 amount of volatile aldehydes, 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. 



E. 



POLYBRACTEA, F 



BLUE MALLEE. 



