THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF LEPTOSPERMUM FLA.VESCENS. 173 



Some workers, however, might possibly be inclined to 

 consider the shrubs growing at Hill Top and Blackheath 

 as a variety of the species growing close to Sydney. As 

 botanists are unable to detect any morphological differences 

 the writer thinks that the evidence put forward justifies 

 his opinion that the variations in the chemical composition 

 of the different oils is due merely to changes produced by 

 environment. 



It has been observed that at times the shrubs of the 

 species exhibit a difference in colour of the upper branches, 

 some becoming of a distinct red colour, whilst others 

 remain a characteristic green. This observation was 

 brought under the writer's notice by Mr. E. Oheel of the 

 National Herbarium, Sydney, so that when material was 

 being collected at Hill Top, N.S.W. in February 1921, the 

 leaves of the plants with the different coloured upper 

 branches were kept apart and distilled separately. 



It was thought that possibly two varieties of this species 

 existed on this account, but the results of the examination 

 of the oils, as shown in Table I, marked with an asterisk, 

 do not show quite sufficient differences to warrant their 

 being considered varieties, just at present. The variations 

 in percentage yield of oil, etc., are what would be expected 

 from single shrubs. 



Experimental: — The 1,210 libs, weight of leaves and 

 terminal branchlets were collected at different periods from 

 various localities, and on distillation yielded crude oils, 

 which on examination, gave the physical and chemical 

 characteristics, as shewn in the following table: — 



