10 MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



variety of this species was introduced into the royal garden at Kevv, 

 in 1775, from New Caledonia, by J. R. Forster, L.L D. 



The origin of cajeput oil, or the vegetable from which it is ob- 

 tained, was long unknown, and continued a matter of conjecture. 

 As this essential oil is said to be somewhat similar in flavour and 

 odour to the cardamom, an opinion very generally prevailed, that 

 it was procured from a species of it. It is now however clearly 

 proved to be derived from the Melaleuca Leucadendron, as ob_ 

 served by Linnaeus in 1772, and since confirmed by his son in the 

 supp. plant. 



Dr. Powell however, the translator of the recent London Phar- 

 macopoeia, observes that " it appears from specimens of the tree 

 yielding the true cajuputi, sent home by Mr. Christopher Smith, 

 that the species is different, and referable to table 17 of Tomkins's 

 Herbarium ambrinense, Vol. II, and not to the author's arbor alba, 

 table 16. After a careful examination of specimens in Sir Joseph 

 Banks's and other collections by Dr. Maten, and of these in the 

 Linnean Herbarium by Dr. Smith, we are authorized to consider 

 the tree which yields the above oil, as a new species; and from the 

 name of its medicinal product, those gentlemen have agreed to give 

 to it the appellation of M. Cajuputi,'' 



That the leaves of this tree have an aromatic odour, resembling 

 that of cardamom seed, and afford, by distillation, a fragrant essen- 

 tial oil, manifesting this aromatic principle still more strongly, is as- 

 serted by Valentyn and Rumphius ; but as they called the oil by 

 no peculiar name, it was not recognized as the cajeput oil until 

 some of these leaves were sent to Amsterdam, where, upon being 

 subjected to distillation, an oil was obtained, agreeing, in every res- 

 pect, with that of the best cajeput *. This essential oil appears to 

 be lodged in the minute glands or vesicles of the leaves, analogously 

 to that of the hypericum perforatum f. 



Cajeput oil, (called also Oleum Wittnebianum, from Wittneben, 

 who gave an account of the process for obtaining it,) though un- 



* Vide Nienwe vaderlandschc Lctter-Oeffningen. P. 3. n. 3. bladz: 104 

 f The leaves of this melaleuca, according to De Loureiro, are an useful me- 

 dicine ; he says, they are " attenuant, strengthening, stomachic, diuretic, em- 

 menagogue, and of service in obstructions of the liver, dropsy, debility of the 

 stomach, and dyspnoea. 



