Eucalyptus dives

Eucalyptus dives

Eucalyptus dives is a flowering plant in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae ). It occurs in south-eastern New South Wales and to the east and south of Victoria, where it is " Peppermint ", " Blue Peppermint " or called "Broad- leaved Peppermint ".

Description

Appearance and leaf

Eucalyptus dives grows as a tree reaching heights of growth of up to 20 meters. The bark remains on the entire trunk and larger branches is gray to gray - brown and short-fibred. On the upper parts of the tree is gray and peels in long strips. The bark of young branches is green. Neither in the marrow of the young branches still in the bark, there are oil glands.

In Eucalyptus dives is available Heterophyllie. The leaves of young and middle-aged are sitting; only in adult specimens are divided into petiole and leaf blade. In young specimens the leaf blades are ovate and floured dull gray - green or blue- green or frosted. Ovate to middle-aged specimens the opposite, dull gray - green or blue- green floured or frosted leaf blades with a length of about 12 cm and a width of about 7 cm, straight, entire. The petioles of adult specimens are 10-16 mm long. The on top and bottom of the same color glossy green leaf blade is broadly lanceolate to lanceolate with a length of 7 to 15 cm and a width of 1.6 to 3.3 cm, relatively thick, straight, has a rounded back and a dull Spreitenbasis or pointed top end. The raised lateral nerves go at large distances from an acute or very acute angle from the midrib. The cotyledons ( cotyledons ) are kidney-shaped.

Inflorescence, flower and fruit

Constantly on a page at a length of 5 to 13 mm and a diameter of up to 3 mm in cross section terete, angular or narrow flattened inflorescence stem are in a simple inflorescence more than eleven flowers together. The flower stalk is 2-5 mm long and terete. The non- blue-green floured or frosted flower buds are club-shaped with a length of 4 to 6 mm and a diameter of 2 to 4 mm. The sepals form a calyptra, which remains available until the bloom ( anthesis ). The smooth calyptra conical, sometimes beak -shaped, shorter than or as long as the smooth flower cup ( hypanthium ) and as wide as this. The flowers are white or off- white.

The stalked fruit is hemispherical with a length and a diameter of 5-7 mm, conical, pear - or egg-shaped and three to vierfächrig. The disc is flat or raised, the fruit compartments are at the height of the edge.

Occurrence

The natural range of Eucalyptus dives is the coast and the Great Dividing Range in south-eastern New South Wales, mainly south of Sydney, as well as the eastern and southern Victoria, east of Ballarat.

Eucalyptus dives thrives widespread and locally common in dry sclerophyllous forests on nutrient-poor, shallow and stony soils and surveys.

System

The first description of Eucalyptus dives in 1843 by Johannes Conrad Schauer in repertory Botanices Systematicae, Volume 2, 5, p 926 The type material has the inscription " In Nova Cambriae Australian Interiori (A. Cunn. Hb. No 181/1822 ) " on. A synonym of Eucalyptus dives Schauer is Eucalyptus amygdalina var latifolia H.Deane & Maiden.

Natural hybrids forms Eucalyptus dives Eucalyptus radiata subsp. radiata.

Use

From the leaf of Eucalyptus dives Eucalyptus oil is extracted. One gets two chemotypes of oils:

• The piperitone chemotype has a minty taste and smell. From it is distilled piperitone, which is used to produce artificial menthol. In Australia, this chemotype has been used since colonization, especially in conjunction with black tea for the production of "Billy Tea". Today, most of this oil comes from the South African province of Transvaal, where Eucalyptus dives is commercially grown. This chemotype is meant when no additional information is available here.
• The cineole chemotype is genus-specific and is harvested and distilled commercially. In Eucalyptus dives this chemotype tirtt on rather rare, the main sources provide Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus radiata dar.