276 



150. Eucalyptus amygdalina. 



(Labill. in PI. Nov. Roll., ii, 14, t. 154.) 

 Black Peppermint. 



Systematic. An average forest tree in height. The bark is charac- 

 teristic of the " Peppermint ' variety, as illustrated in this work. The 

 abnormal leaves small, narrow, lanceolate, about i inch long, shortly petio- 

 late or sessile, gradually becoming alternate, sometimes three in a whorl ; venation 

 well marked, marginal vein removed from the edge, broad ovate to lanceolate, 

 up to 3 inches long and \ inch broad, shortly petiolate or sessile, cordate. 

 Normal leaves almost invariably lanceolate, varying in size according to locality, 

 narrow and small to medium broad, and up to 3 or 4 inches long. Inflorescence in 

 axillary clusters on flattened peduncles. Buds clavate ; calyx pyriform ; 

 operculum rounded or flattened. 



Fruit. Shortly pedicellate, hemispherical, some- 

 times pear-shaped ; rim thick, slightly 

 domed, shiny or not ; up to 3 lines long, 

 and the same in diameter. 



The nearest approach to this capsule in shape is that of 

 E. dives ; it also somewhat resembles E. Australiana, 

 but with care can be distinguished by the rim. 



Habitat. Tasmania. 



REMARKS. Since first recorded by Labillardiere from Tasmania a- number of species described from the 

 mainland by various authors, have from time to time been regarded by some later systematists as synonyms. 

 The list is too long to be published here, but will be found in botanical works and papers bearing on Eucalypts. 

 Our investigations almost invariably go to show that most of these Eucalypts are worthy of specific rank. In our 

 paper on the Eucalypts of Tasmania and their Essential Oils (Roy. Soc. Tas., 1912) under this tree, we mention 

 the fact that "as far as our researches go, Labillardiere's species does not appear to occur on the mainland of 

 Australia." 



ESSENTIAL OIL. Material of this species, known as " Black Pepper- 

 mint," was received from various localities in Tasmania, and collected at various 

 times of the year, in order that definite conclusions might be secured as to the 

 specific differences between the oil of E. amygdalina of Tasmania, and that of 

 trees known in New South Wales and Victoria as "Narrow-leaved Peppermint." 

 The character of the oil of the Tasmanian tree places it in the pronounced " phellan- 

 drene group " of these oils, and it thus differs considerably from that of the 

 Australian form. It more closely approaches, in constituents and physical 

 properties, the oil of E. dives, with the exception that the oil of the Tasmanian 

 E. amygdalina contains a little more cineol than does that of E. dives. 

 Commercially the oil-could be utilised for similar purposes to those for which that 

 of E. dives is employed, but it would not pay to submit it to fractional distillation 

 in order to separate the cineol portion, 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 is almost 

 twice that obtained from the Tasmanian trees, and even E. dives yields a greater 

 quantity of oil than does E, amygdalina of Tasmania. The oil of the Tasmanian 



