— 25 — 



L, but are larger in size and greener in colour and the leaves are less 

 markedly serrate. The leaves are probably a variety of the crenulata species. 

 A further note on buchu leaves by E. M. Holmes 1 ), gives a short de 

 scription of the spurious leaves which most nearly resemble the official 

 kinds. The note is purely of a pharmacognostical character. 



Cajuput Oil. The statistics from Macassar at present available un- 

 fortunately only go to the end of November 1910, up to which date 1536 

 baskets had been exported, against 1309 baskets in the previous year. 

 Notwithstanding this apparent increase and the fact that we have been 

 able to import considerable quantities direct from our well-tried source 

 of supply in the island of Bum (which imports are not included in above 

 figures), the situation of the article has throughout been firm, albeit with- 

 out serious advances in the price. Of the 1536 baskets mentioned above, 

 860 went to America, which indicates that in that country cajuput oil con- 

 tinues to maintain its old popularity. It should, however, be noted that 

 the export figures do not give a wholly accurate picture of the actual 

 conditions, because the size of the packages varies; thus the statistics 

 also include cases of about 30 kilos net weight, whereas a basket usually 

 contains only about 15 kilos of oil. Within the past few weeks business 

 in cajuput oil has been exceptionally brisk, as a result of which our 

 present stock has shrunk to a rather small compass. This has already 

 caused an advance in price. 



On Oil of Melaleuca bracteata and M. trichostachya, see p. 181. 



Callitris Oils-). Many species of Callitris yield timber possessing a 

 high power of resistance against the attacks of white ants, a property which 

 is presumably due to the presence in the wood of an apparently unknown 

 phenol, to which Baker and Smith give the name of Callitrol. The wood 

 of Callitris glauca, for instance, when subjected to steam-distillation, yields 

 0,82° o of an essential oil which in the crude state forms a semi-solid 

 mass. When the oil is pressed through a cloth the greater part of it 

 remains behind in the form of a solid cake. The sp. gr. (at 16°) of the 

 liquid portion is 0,9854; it is soluble with its own volume of 70 /o alcohol; 

 when more than 3 vols, is added the solution turns cloudy. With 80°/ 

 alcohol it makes a mixture which is clear at first, but in this case also 

 the dilute solution becomes slightly cloudy. By repeated fractionation a 

 fraction boiling between 250 and 252° was isolated, (di 5 o 0,9266; n D15 o 1,4926; 

 insoluble in 90°/ alcohol) apparently consisting chiefly of sesquiterpenes. 

 The oil also contains free acids, esters, and the phenol, callitrol, referred 

 to above, which gave a few colour-reactions, such as turning red when 



3 ) Pharmaceutical Journ. 85 (1910), 464. 



2 ) Baker and Smith: A research on the Pines of Australia, Sydney 1910, p. 56, 60, 79. 

 Also see the present Report p. 148. 



