Eucalyptus piperita

Eucalyptus piperita

Eucalyptus piperita is a flowering plant in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae ). It occurs on the central coast and in the eastern tableland of New South Wales, where it is " Stringybark Peppermint ", " Sydney Peppermint " or " Urn fruited Peppermint " called.

Description

Appearance and leaf

Eucalyptus piperita grows as a tree reaching heights of growth of up to 20 or 30 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 it is white or 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 piperita is available Heterophyllie. The leaves are always divided into petiole and leaf blade. In young specimens the leaf blade is ovate and dull gray - green. At middle-aged specimens, the leaf blade is also ovoid, curved like a sickle, entire and dull gray - green, with a length of about 16 cm and a width of about 7.5 cm. The petiole of adult specimens is 10 to 20 mm long and narrow flattened or angular. The on top and bottom of the same color dull green or gray - green leaf blade of adult specimens is curved lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, crescent-shaped with a length of 10 to 14 cm and a width of 1 to 3 cm. It can be relatively thin or relatively thick, tapering to Spreitenbasis toward or have a blunt Spreitenbasis and a blunt or pointed top end. The raised lateral nerves go at large distances from a very acute angle from the midrib. The cotyledons ( cotyledons ) are kidney-shaped.

Inflorescence and flower

Constantly on a page at a length of 5 to 18 mm and a diameter of up to 3 mm in cross section, narrow flattened or angular inflorescence stem are about eleven or multiflorous part inflorescences in total composite inflorescences. The flower stalks are 2-6 mm long and terete. The flower buds are floured club- or spindle- shaped and not blue green with a length of 4 to 8 mm and a diameter of 2 to 3 mm or frosted. The sepals form a calyptra, which remains available until flowering ( anthesis ). The smooth calyptra is tipped conical or beaked, two to three times as long as the smooth flower cup ( hypanthium ) and as wide as this one. The flowers are white or off- white.

Fruit

The stalked fruit is spherical with a length of 6 to 9 mm and a diameter of 6 to 7 mm, ovoid or urn- shaped, three to vierfächrig. The disc is pressed, the fruit trays are included.

Occurrence

The natural range of Eucalyptus piperita is the middle part of the coast and the east tableland of New South Wales from Nabiac to the Tuross River.

Eucalyptus piperita grows locally common in dry sclerophyll forest or open woodland on moderately fertile, often sandy soils in river valleys.

System

The first publication of Eucalyptus piperita was made in 1790 by James Edward Smith in Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, p 226 synonyms for Eucalyptus piperita Sm are Eucalyptus bottii Blakely. , Eucalyptus urceolaris Maiden & Blakely, Eucalyptus aromatica ( Salisb. ) Domin, Metrosideros aromatica Salisb. , Eucalyptus piperita Sm var piperita, Eucalyptus piperita Sm subsp. piperita, Eucalyptus piperita var laxiflora Benth. and Eucalyptus piperita subsp. urceolaris ( Maiden & Blakely ) LASJohnson & Blaxell.

There are natural hybrids of Eucalyptus piperita with Eucalyptus racemosa subsp. rossii, Eucalyptus moorei, oreades Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus capitellata, haemastoma Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus and Eucalyptus racemosa sclerophylla suspected.

Use

The volatile oil, eucalyptus oil called, which is obtained from the leaf of Eucalyptus piperita, is used against stomach ache. Fresh leaves of Eucalyptus piperita containing 2.25% oil, which consists of 40 to 50% piperitone, as well as from phellandrene.

The Australian botanist Joseph Maiden was of the opinion that one should believe Dennis Considen, a doctor of the First Fleet that he was the first to medicinal value of eucalyptus oil, which was distilled from the leaf of Eucalyptus piperita realized. The first specimens were found in 1788 on the shores of Port Jackson. This view was supported by a letter, which Considen Dr. Anthony Hamilton wrote to his English colleagues in November 1788

" (...) we have a large peppermint tree Which is equal if not superior to our english peppermint I have sent you a specimen of it if there is any merit in applying synthesis and many other simple [sic ] to the benefit. of the poor wretches here, I certainly claimsoft it, being the first who Discovered and recommended them " ( Eng.: (...) we have a large peppermint tree, which is just as good or better than our English peppermint tree I saw you therefrom a sample. sent (so that they notice ) whether it makes sense for the benefit of the poor devil apply these and many other samples here, I take it to safely and was the first who discovered and recommended. )

Considen sent a sample of eucalyptus oil to the evaluation with the " Golden Grove " on their return to England, 1788. John White, the chief physician of the colony, this discovery is also attributed, as it has documented the issue and prompted the dispatch of samples to England. The doctors based their assumption about the medicinal properties of eucalyptus oil to the similarity of its smell to that of the well-known English peppermint tree.