Am.  Jour.  Pharm.j 
March,  19 17  > 
Phytochemical  Research. 
105 
pentahydric  alcohol,  quercitol,  which  is  a  pentahydroxyhexahydro- 
CH2 
HO.Hc/NcH.OH 
HO.HC^yCH.OH 
CH.OH 
benzene,  had  hitherto  only  been  known  in  the  dextrorotatory  form, 
as  obtained  from  the  fruits  of  various  species  of  Quercus  and  some 
other  sources.  This  has  a  specific  rotation  of  [a]z>,'+  24.1 6°,  whereas 
the  new  laevorotatory  modification  has  [a]D — 73-9°,  and  the  one 
cannot  therefore  be  the  optical  antipode  of  the  other.  Inasmuch 
as  quercitol  possesses  four  asymmetrical  groupings,  a  number  of 
stereochemical  modifications  are  possible,  and  the  configuration  of 
the  respective  dextro  and  laevo  compounds  can  only  be  determined 
when  the  other  isomerides  are  known. 
In  any  consideration  of  the  subject  of  phytochemistry  it  seems 
eminently  desirable  that  some  attention  should  be  given  to  the  plants 
which  are  indigenous  to  the  North  American  Continent,  for  it  may 
certainly  be  assumed  that  they  are  not  lacking  in  chemical  interest. 
The  fact  may,  however,  again  be  noted  that  comparatively  few  of 
the  native  plants  have  as  yet  been  subjected  to  a  complete  examina- 
tion, while  the  constituents  of  a  large  proportion  of  them  are  as  yet 
completely  unknown.  A  great  wealth  of  material  therefore  awaits 
the  investigator  in  this  field  of  research. 
Among  the  American  plants  which  have  been  made  the  subjects 
of  more  recent  study  a  few  may  specially  be  mentioned  which  are 
natives  of  the  Pacific  coast,  such  as  Grindelia  camporum  Greene;13 
Eriodictyon  calif ormcum  Greene,14  or  "Yerba  Santa";  Micromeria 
chamissonis  Greene,15  or  "Yerba  Buena,"  and  the  so-called  Cali- 
fornia laurel  or  mountain  laurel,  which  is  known  botanically  as  Um~ 
belhdaria  calif  omica  Nutt.16  The  last-mentioned  plant  is  of  particu- 
lar interest  on  account  of  the  character  of  the  essential  oil  contained 
in  its  leaves.  This  essential  oil  possesses  an  odor  which  at  first  is 
agreeably  aromatic  and  somewhat  camphoraceous,  but  when  strongly 
13  Power  and  Tutin,  Proc.  Amer.  Pharm.  Assoc.,  53,  pp.  192-200,  and 
1907,  55,  PP-  337-344- 
14  Power  and  Tutin,  ibid.,  1906,  54,  pp.  352-369,  and  Jour.  Chcm.  Soc, 
1907,  gi,  pp.  887-896. 
15  Power  and  Salway,  Jour.  Amer.  Chem.  Soc,  1908,  30,  pp.  251-265. 
16  Power  and  Lees,  ibid.,  1904,  85,  pp.  629-646. 
