TP ILF GIFT OF Bit i AUG 201913 A RESEARCH ON THE Eucalypts of Tasmania AM) THE 1 17 ESSENTIAL OILS R. T. BAKER, F.L.S., AND H. G. SMITH, F.C.S. Technological Museum, Sydney StTY ] Head before the Royal Society of Tasmania Communicated by L. Rodway, Esq.. Government Botanist October 14, 1912 VAIL, Government I'rinter. Hol>,n-t. Tasmania A RESEARCH ON THE EUCALYPTS OF TASMANIA AND THEIR ESSENTIAL OILS BY R. T. BAKER, F.L.S., AND H. G. SMITH, F.C.S. Technological Museum, Sydney Read before the Royal Society of Tasmania Communicated by L. Rodway, Esq., Government Botanist October 14, 1912 JOHN VA.HJ, 'Government Printer, Tasmania CONTENTS. PAOK 1. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 1 2. INTRODUCTION 1 3. SPECIES, WITH THEIR SYSTEMATIC, TECHNLOOGICAL, AND CHEMICAL DATA ... 10 4. AVERAGE YIELD OF OIL FROM THE SEVERAL SPECIES OF EUCALYPTUS ... ... ... ... ... ... 67 5. TABULATED RESULTS WITH THE CRUDE OILS, TOGETHER WITH THEIR PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS 68 6. ILLUSTRATIONS — E. UNIALATA. SP. NOV 71 E. RODWAYI, SP. NOV. 71 E. TAENIOLA, SP. NOV 71 COLLECTING EUCALYPTUS LEAVES IN TASMANIA ... 71 7. INDEX TO SPECIES... 71 264623 A RESEARCH ON THE EUCALYPTS OF TAS- MANIA AND THEIR ESSENTIAL OILS. By R. T. BAKER, F.L.S., and H. G. SMITH, F.C.S., Technological Museum, Sydney. [Communicated by L. RODWAY, F.L.S., Government Botanist. I 1.— ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. IN the preparation of this paper we have to acknowledge our indebtedness to Mr. L. Rodway, Government Botanist, who placed his knowledge of Tasmanian Eucalypts at our disposal, and gave up much of his time to procuring material. We would also like to thank the following gentlemen for assistance rendered: — Messrs. T. Stephens, R. A. Black, D'Arcy Addison, G. Ellis, and A. H. Higgs. The collector, Mr. L. G. Irby, met with the greatest assistance and help from every one in the island with whom he came in contact in this connection, as did also Mr. C. Laseron when collecting previously. 2.— INTRODUCTION. The Tasmanian Eucalypts will always possess an historical interest over their confreres, as it was from Van Diemen's Land that specimens of the genus were first made known to science, the honour being conferred on the well-known " Eucalyptus " of Tasmania — E . obliqua, by L'Heritier, in 1788 — the " Stringy-bark colonorum/' as mentioned by Hooker in the " London Journal of Botany," when describing this tree under the name of E. gigantea, in 1847. Since that date several famous botanists have worked at the genus as represented in Tasmania, the late Sir Joseph D. Hooker giving special attention to it in his classical work The Flora of Tasmania, published in 1860. This investigation is, however, the first that has treated the subject from a technological point of view. It is the work of a joint research in botany and chemistry, consequently the results, as might be expected by work- ing on so extended a field, are not quite in accord with past classifications of these Eucalypts. 2 A RESEARCH ON THE EUCALYPTS OF TASMANIA The economics of one at least of Tasmania's Eucalypts are world-wide, those of E. glob u I us, and probably there has been more literature published in connection with this species than any other belonging to the whole genus. In the United States of America it is more cultivated than any other, thousands of acres being planted with it as a source of timber-supply ; but its essential oil has made its name better known than its wood. However, this research now shows that Tasmania pos- sesses other trees yielding oil of equal therapeutic value, and what is of quite as much importance, posses several other trees yielding phellandrene oils, now so extensively used in mineral «e|*ar?itiii" The Eucalypts of Tasmania we make out to be as fol- lows, on a cortical classification: — SMOOTH BARKS OR GUMS— * Enrti/1/ptu.'i (inrrutii. Hook. f. * Kiirti.li/ptu8 cordata, Labill. /•Jnrd/i/ptu8 globvlus, Labill. * Kurfifuptus Gunnii, Hook. * Eiirti/i/ptt/* h'ncfir'K, A. Cunn. * Kitcalyptus Muelleri, T. B. Moore. Eucalyptus Perriniana , R. T. B. et H.G.S. Eucalyptus phlebophylln , F. v. M. et Miq. Eumff/pfu* regnans, F. v. M. * Eucalyptus Risdoni, Hook. * Eucali/pfii* u n'uil a i/r/ii(/< ni, Hook. * Eucalyptus vernimxa, Hook. Kiirfrfy/tfi/fi r I'M infills, Labill. HALF-BARKS — Ki/rfiJf//ttti.< /Jrlrgflfrnsis, R. T. B. Ki/rt//i//>fu>: /•/-// /////;x. F. v. M. (occasionally). STRINGY-BARK — Eucalypttu obliqua, L'Her. HARD, ROUGH BARKS — * Eucalyptus ftodwayif sp. nov. Eucalypti/* rirtfafa, Sieb. * Eucalyptus taenioUit sp. nov. PEPPERMINTS — Kurfili/pti/x amygdalina, Labill. * EurriJi/pfi/* rnrrifrrfl, Hook, f. * Endemic to Tasmania. AND THEIR ESSENTIAL OILS. 3 This brings the record up to 21, and of these no less than 12 are endemic, which is a large percentage of the whole number, and probably due to the great length or period of isolation of Tasmania from the mainland. No doubt other endemic species exist, but remain as yet unre- corded, as much country is not yet opened up. K-odway, in his " Flora of Tasmania/' estimates 17 species, most of which stand, with the following additions and alterations. In his list we replace — E '. Sieberiana with E '. virgata, E . haemastoma with E. Deltgatensis, E . pauci flora with E . phlebophyUa, while the following are added as new species : — E. Rodwayi, E. taeniola, E, unialata. E. /incur is, Dehn., is superseded by E. I'm tt iris t A. Cunu. Records new for Tasmania are — E. Delegatensis, E. 1* erriniana t and we determine two species, which had hitherto been regarded as common to both the mainland and Tasmania, as now distinct, viz. — E. amygdalina from E. amygdalina on the mainland, and— E. acervula from E . paludosa. It will no doubt come as a surprise to Eucalyptologists to know that the Tasmanian E. amygdalina is not indenti- cal with the species on the mainland which has for so long passed under that name; but the error has probably been caused through various reasons. One, 110 doubt, has been the want of access to Labillardier's original specimens, or at least his plate, of the species, or a wider method of classification, such as this investigation covers. However, we have refrained from introducing a new name into the already long nomenclature, and suggest a compromise as stated under E '. amygdalina. E . radiata of Hooker's " Flora Tasmania " we have not been able to place with the mainland tree of that name, and are disposed to regard the remarks (loc. tit.) as referring partly to material of E . amygdoHna, E . linearis, or even E . Bisdoni. E. Gunnii we consider as endemic to Tasmania, as up to the present there appears no true evidence of this " Cider Gum " tree occurring on the mainland. 4 A RESEARCH ON THE EUCALYPTS OF TASMANIA Four species previously recorded as Tasmanian are, as the result of this investigation, found not to exist in the island. These are- — E. luirnmxt'Htui. E. Sicberianti, E. Macarthuri, E. Maideni. The variety hi//irririfolia, generally placed with K. amy(jfl// /