(F.v.M., in Jour. Linn. Soc, iii, 88.) Moreton Bay Ash or Carbeen.

Systematic. - A tall tree, with a persistent, tesselated bark on the lower trunk, branches smooth. Leaves thin and narrow, lanceolate, with numerous fine. parallel, not prominent veins, the intramarginal vein close to the edge. Oil glands rare. Peduncles very short, usually several together in lateral clusters or very short panicles, often so reduced as to appear like a single, compact, irregular umbel, each peduncle with three to six flowers on short slender pedicels. Calyx oblong, 3 lines long ; operculum shortly domed.

Fruit.-Cylindrical or urn-shaped; rim rounded or thick, the capsule sunk; 3 to 6 lines long and 3 to 4 lines broad.

The fruits of this species are almost identical in shape and size with those of E. trachyphloia, but with a thicker rim.

Habitat.-New South Wales and Queensland.

REMARKS.-The timber is of excellent quality, and the tree is remarkable for its drought-resisting qualities. The tesselated nature of the bark gives character to the species in the field. The leaves of this species are greedily eaten by sheep, and the trees are consequently pollarded or cut down for fodder. "Carbeen" has a dark blue bark, whilst E. trachyphloia is a pale yellow in colour. The leaves of this species are much narrower than those of E. trachyphloia and its timber is dark coloured, resembling Walnut (Cryptocarya Palmersloni) or Black Bean (Castanospermum australe), and is equally as hard.

ESSENTIAL OIL.-Leaves and terminal branchlets for distillation were obtained from Narrabri, N.S.W., in July, 1901. The yield of oil was o.16 per cent. The crude oil was of a dark colour, and had an odour, when diffused, strongly reminding of cymene. As the characteristic oxidation products of cymene were obtained with the oil of E. melanophloia, it is very probable that cymene is a constituent in the oil of the present species. Phellandrene does not occur; pinene was proved by its chemical combinations and reactions. A small quantity of cineol was found, but not exceeding 5 to 10 per cent. The presence of the sesquiterpene (aromadendrene) was pronounced. The dark colour of the oil was due to the phenols acting on the iron removed from the still by the action of the free acids in the oil. The colour was readily removed by agitating the oil with a dilute solution of soda; the remaining oil was then nearly colourless, so that the optical rotation could be readily taken. The venation of the mature lanceolate leaves of this species indicates the predominance of pinene in the lower boiling terpenes, thus being in agreement with the oils of the genus Angophora. (For the oils of the Angophoras see paper by one of us, Proc. Roy. Soc, N.S.W., Aug. 1913.)

The crude oil had specific gravity at 15o C. = 0.8757; optical rotation, aD + 8.6°; refractive index at 200 = 1.4824, and was not soluble in 10 volumes 80 per cent. alcohol.

On rectification a few drops of acid water with some aldelrydes came over below 1600 C. (corr). Between 160-1720 C, 47 per cent. distilled; between 172-2140, 34 per cent. came over; the boiling point then rapidly rose to 2400, between which temperature and 2650, 11 per cent. distilled. These fractions gave the following: -

There is a constituent 111 the higher boiling portions winch has a rotation to the right, but it. was not isolated. The saponification number for the esters and free acids was 6.2. The volatile aldehydes were much less distinct in this oil, than in those belonging to the cineol group. The oil of this species is a terpene one, and of little commercial value.