— 52 — < 



somewhat acrid, and those of P. crassipes a cajeput-like odour. Rinoe badak 

 is said to be the only poisonous species. 



The articles by Holmes and Small are of purely pharmacognostical 

 interest, and for particulars of their contents we must therefore refer to 

 the originals. 



Cumin Oil. There has been no scarcity of distilling material, at 

 any rate there has not been the slightest difficulty in supplying the small 

 demand for cumin oil, the employment of which appears to be declining fast. 



Oil of Cymbopogon coloratus. In our April Report of 1911 (p. 58), 

 we referred to an oil prepared in the Fiji Islands from Cymbopogon coloratus, 

 Stapf, which is known there by the name of lemongrass oil, but which, 

 in its characters, stands between lemongrass and citronella oil. The 

 Imperial Institute in London 1 ) now describes, together with this same oil, 

 three further distillates of the same species of grass. The odour of all 

 the four samples was similar, reminding at the same time of citronella 

 and of lemongrass oil; the colour varied from golden yellow to brown; 

 a rectified oil was of somewhat paler colour. Further examination of the 

 crude oils gave the following results: di 5 o 0,9155 to 0,920, <* D — 7°43 f 

 to — 8°40 r , geraniol 15,6 p. c, citronellal 45,7 to 49,5 p. c; constituents 

 reacting with bisulphite from 42,0 to 43,5 p.c. The oils gave clear solutions 

 with 1 and more vols. 80 p. c alcohol; in 70 p. c. alcohol they were either 

 insoluble, or the solution (which was clear in the proportion of 1 :3) turned 

 cloudy when more alcohol was added. The rectified oil showed a similar 

 degree of solubility, and its other characters were as follow: di 5 o 0,9111, 

 « D — 10° 42 f ; constituents reacting with bisulphite 42 p.c. The Imperial 

 Institute had procured from Fiji samples of the grass, all of which were 

 identified in the London botanic gardens as Cymbopogon coloratus, Stapf, 

 a species of grass of which the essential oil was hitherto unknown (Report 

 April 1907, 33). Enquiries by the Imperial Institute showed that the views 

 as to the value of the oil differed; on the one hand it was thought that 

 it would only be saleable at the price of Java citronella oil; but others 

 are of opinion that it would find a market at a slightly lower price than 

 lemongrass oil. 



Oil of Cymbopogon sennaarensis. In our Report of April 1911, 

 p. 58, we referred to an oil which had been forwarded to the Imperial 

 Institute in London from the Sudan, and which was said to be derived 

 from Cymbopogon Iwarancusa. Closer investigation of the grass has shown 

 that its parent plant is Cymbopogon sennaarensis, Chiov. 2 ) The herb, which 

 has an odour of pennyroyal, yielded upon distillation 1,005 p. c. oil, 

 possesssing the following properties: di 5 o 0,9383, « D20 o+34 o 14', total 



x ) Bull. Imp. Inst. 10 (1912), 27. 

 2 ) Bull. Imp. Inst. 10 (1912), 31. 



