106 H. G. SMITH. 



ON THE ESSENTIAL OILS OF THE ANGOPHORAS. 

 By Henry G. Smith, f.c.s. 



[Read before the Royal Society of N. S. Wales, August 6, 1913.] 



Introduction. 

 This genus, Angophora, was established by Cavanilles in 

 1797, the name being given by him to two species common 

 in the neighbourhood of Sydney, viz.: — Angophora cordi- 

 folia and lanceolata. Although very closely allied to that 

 widely distributed Australian genus — Eucalyptus, and in all 

 probability its prototype, yet the number of species in the 

 genus is very limited, only six being so far described, as 

 against about two hundred in the former. With the excep- 

 tion of A, cordifolia, they are all fine forest trees, and so 

 much resemble those of the cognate genus (supra) that 

 they are commonly regarded as the same "family," and 

 this is very excusable to the unscientific mind, for the barks 

 are almost identical and could easily be classed as " Stringy- 

 bark," or "Gum" — smooth bark. The timbers also very 

 closely resemble those of the pale coloured woods of the 

 Eucalypts. Botanically, they are only to be differentiated 

 from the Eucalypts by their distinct calyx teeth and free 

 petals. 



In geographical distribution they are restricted to the 

 east coast district of the continent, and are now classified 

 as follows : — 



A. cordifolia, Cav. (1797) A. lanceolata, Cav. (1797) 



A. subvelutina, F.v.M. (1858) A. melanoxylon, R.T.B. (1900) 



A. intermedia, DeCandolle (1828) A. Bakeri, Dr. 0. Hall (1913) 



The first recorded instance of an essential oil from the 

 leaves of any species of Angophora, is the notice in the 

 work by Mr. R. T. Baker and myself "A Research on the 



