632 A TEXT-BOOK OF BOTANY. 



constitute the drug or spice known as Cloves. (See \^ol. II.) 



Pimenta officinalis is a tree with opposite, lanceolate, acute, 

 petiolate, pellucid-punctate and evergreen leaves. The flowers are 

 small, white and in axillary racemes. The fruit, known as " All- 

 spice," is used for flavoring. 



Not only are ethereal oils obtained from the genera Euca- 

 lyptus, Jambosa and Pimenta already described, but also from 

 other members of the Myrtacese. Oil of Bay or oil of Myrcia 

 is distilled from the leaves of Pimenta acris of the West Indies. 

 The oil consists largely of eugenol, methyl-eugenol, chavicol, 

 methyl-chavicol, citral, phellandrene and myrcene, and is used 

 in the preparation of Bay rum. The fruits of P. acris yield 3.3 

 per cent, of an oil resembling the leaf oil. 



Cheken leaves are obtained from Eugenia Chekan. They are 

 about 25 mm. long, ovate or rectangular, with entire, somewhat 

 revolute margin, light green, pellucid-punctate, aromatic, astrin- 

 gent and bitter. Cheken leaves yield about i per cent, of a volatile 

 oil containing cineol and pinene; 4 per cent, of tannin; a volatile 

 alkaloid and a glucoside. 



Oil of Cajeput is obtained from the leaves and twigs of Mela- 

 leuca Leucadendron, particularly the varieties Cajeputi and minor 

 of the East Indies. The principal constituents of this oil are 

 cineol, terpineol, pinene, and a number of aldehydes and acid 

 esters. An oil resembling Cajeput oil is obtained from the leaves 

 and flowers of Myrceugenia camphorata of Chile. 



The leaves of Myrtus communis, a plant extensively cultivated 

 in the Mediterranean countries of Europe, yield a distillate with 

 water known as Eau d'ange and used as a toilet article. 



The leaves of the following plants are used as substitutes for 

 tea leaves : Myrtus Molincc of Chile, Melaleuca genistifolia of 

 Australia, and Leptospermum scoparium and other species of this 

 genus growing in New Zealand. The seeds of Eugenia disticha 

 are known in the Antilles as Wild cofifee. Quite a number of the 

 genera of this family yield edible fruits. Guava or Guayava fruit 

 is obtained from Psidium Giiajava of tropical America. Rose 

 apple is the fruit of Jambosa malaccensis, growing in the East 

 Indies and Oceanica. Jambuse berries are derived from Jambosa 

 vulgaris which is extensively cultivated in the Tropics. The 



