(F.v.M.. Frag, ii, 50.) Tallow-wood.

Systematic. - A tall tree, with a pale-coloured flatish, broken bark, branchlets quadrangular. Abnormal leaves ovate, about 3 inches long, acuminate, membraneous, pale on the under' surface; venation distinct, lateral veins very spreading, intramarginal vein removed from the edge. Normal leaves lanceolate, varying in length up to 6 inches or longer, rather thicker than the earlier leaves, pale on the underside; venation distinct, lateral veins spreading, intramarginal one removed from the edge. Oil dots very numerous. Peduncles, flattened, axillary or in short terminal panicles or corymbs, generally about six flowers in the head. Calyx small, pedicel slender, 4 to 6 lines long; operculum small, domed.

Fruit. Conical, elongated, rarely cylindrical, sometimes angular at the base; double-rimmed; valves slightly exserted; about 6 lines long, 3 lines in diameter.

Somewhat resemble those of E. Fergusoni in shape, hut smaller, and with a thicker rim.

Habitat. Northern Coast district of New South Wales and into Queensland.

REMARKS. -A well-marked and distinct species, characterised chiefly by its pale-coloured, hard, durable, greasy-natured timber. Hark pale-coloured or yellowish, not ridged. It appears to be. always known vernacularly as " Tallow-wood," and is never confounded by settlers and timber-getters with any other species. The leaves have a great resemblance to those of E. ochrophloia of the north-west interior of New South Wales, and Bentham's placing of Fraser's specimens from that locality under E. microcorys, B. Fl. iii, 213, is very probably an error, as E. microcorys, as at present understood, does not occur west of the Main Dividing Range. Fraser's species are probably E. ochrophloia, F.v.M. Bentham may have been misled by the morphology of the species and also probably not having sufficient field notes from collectors to guide him to a correct determination.

ESSENTIAL OIL. - Leaves and terminal branchlets for distillation were obtained from Tumbulgum, N.S.W., in October, 1897. The yield of oil was 0.51 per cent. The crude oil was but little coloured, had a turpentine-like odour, and was turbid. After the lapse of some years the oil still remained turbid. It may be, perhaps, that this turbidity is associated in some way with the increased cineol content that takes place in many oils of this class on keeping, particularly as an increase in cineol was noticeable even after storing the oil for only three years. When it was first distilled the amount of cineol present in the oil was but small, the principal constituent being dextro-rotatory pinene, and it is worthy of notice that in practically all the cineol-pinene oils which form a deposit on keeping, the pinene has an optical rotation to the right. The alteration which takes place, however, is not due to the pinene, because the strictly pinene oils like that of E. dextropinea, for instance, do not form a deposit, and do not increase in cineol content on keeping. (See also the article in this work dealing with this deposit.) Phellandrene does not occur in the oil of this species, nor is it to be expected, judging from the botanical characters. The amount of esters was larger than is usual in oils of this class. The higher boiling portion contained some sesquiterpene. The pinene was separated and its chemical characters determined.

The crude oil had specific gravity at 15o C. = 0.895 ; rotation aD + 18.3°; refractive index at 20o = 1.4690, and was soluble in 1 volume 80 per cent. alcohol. The saponification number for the esters and free acid was 19.6.

On rectification, 2 per cent. distilled below 159o C. (corr.). This portion contained the usual amount of volatile aldehydes. Between 159-169o, 60 per cent, distilled; between 169-178o, 24 per cent, distilled; and between 178-204°, 6 per cent, distilled. These fractions gave the following results: -

The cineol was not present in suffient amount to allow of its being determined quantitatively by the phosphoric acid method, and the resorcinol method was not then available.

The above sample of oil had been stored in the dark, and in April, 1919, was again analysed. An increase in cineol content was shown, and this is more noticeable in the redistilled oil. 86 per cent. distilled below 190° C. The crude-oil and the fraction gave the following results: -

The cineol was determined by the resorcmol method in the rectified portion, and calculated for the crude oil ; the result was 49 per cent. By the rapid phosphoric acid method it was 30 per cent. when calculated for the crude oil.