Eucalyptus piperita
Encyclopedia
Eucalyptus piperita, commonly known as Sydney Peppermint and Urn-fruited Peppermint, is a small to medium forest tree native to New South Wales
, Australia
.
(urn shaped) to barrel shaped., especially on the sides of valleys.
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Specimens of E. piperita were first collected by First Fleet
surgeon and naturalist John White
, and published by James Edward Smith
in his appendix to White's 1790 Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales. Smith gave it the specific epithet piperita because its odour of its essential oil
was so similar to that of Mentha × piperita, the peppermint
. White's Voyage also featured a plate showing the plant's leaves and old fruit, but no flowers.
Smith's description was republished in his 1793 A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland
, but this did not stop Richard Anthony Salisbury
publishing the same plant as Metrosideros aromatica in 1796. Other later synonyms include:
E.piperita 'type' has a fresh weight oil yield of 2.25% containing piperitone
(40-50%) and phellandrene
.
Australian botanist, Joseph Maiden
, was of the opinion that Dennis Considen
, a surgeon on the First Fleet
deserves credit for being the first person to recognize the medicinal value of Eucalyptus oil
extracted from E. piperita found growing on the shores of Port Jackson
in 1788. This view is based on a letter Considen wrote in November 1788 to an English colleague, Dr Anthony Hamilton, saying that "..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 these and many other simples[sic] to the benefit of the poor wretches here, I certainly claim it, being the first who discovered and recommended them". Considen dispatched an oil sample for further evaluation in England
on the return voyage of the Golden Grove
in 1788. John White
, Surgeon General to the Colony, is also credited with the discovery, in documenting the matter and organizing oil samples to be sent back to England. The surgeons initially based their assumptions of the medicinal properties of E.piperita from the similarity of its fragrance to English peppermint.
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Description
It has grey, rough and finely fibrous bark on its trunk, but its branches are smooth and white. Adult leaves are dull blue-green and often oblique. Bright yellow-green flowers are borne in clusters of seven or more in late spring to mid summer. Fruit is urceolateUrceolate
Urceolate literally means "shaped like an urn or pitcher", with a swollen middle and narrowing top. It is often used in botany to describe a feature of plant morphology. Examples of urceolate plant structures are the pitchers of many species of the pitcher plant genera Sarracenia and Nepenthes....
(urn shaped) to barrel shaped., especially on the sides of valleys.
Taxonomy
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
surgeon and naturalist John White
John White (surgeon)
John White was an English surgeon and botanical collector.White was born in Sussex and entered the Royal Navy on 26 June 1778 as third surgeon's mate. He was promoted surgeon in 1780, and was the principal surgeon during the voyage of the First Fleet to Australia...
, and published by James Edward Smith
James Edward Smith
Sir James Edward Smith was an English botanist and founder of the Linnean Society.Smith was born in Norwich in 1759, the son of a wealthy wool merchant. He displayed a precocious interest in the natural world...
in his appendix to White's 1790 Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales. Smith gave it the specific epithet piperita because its odour of its essential oil
Essential oil
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils or aetherolea, or simply as the "oil of" the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove...
was so similar to that of Mentha × piperita, the peppermint
Peppermint
Peppermint is a hybrid mint, a cross between the watermint and spearmint . The plant, indigenous to Europe, is now widespread in cultivation throughout all regions of the world...
. White's Voyage also featured a plate showing the plant's leaves and old fruit, but no flowers.
Smith's description was republished in his 1793 A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland
A specimen of the botany of New Holland
A Specimen of the Botany of New Holland, also known by its standard abbreviation Spec. Bot. New Holland, was the first published book on the flora of Australia. Written by James Edward Smith and illustrated by James Sowerby, it was published by Sowerby in four parts between 1793 and 1795...
, but this did not stop Richard Anthony Salisbury
Richard Anthony Salisbury
Richard Anthony Salisbury FRS was a British botanist. While he is remembered as a valuable worker in horticultural and botanical sciences, several bitter disputes caused him to be ostracised by his contemporaries.-Life:...
publishing the same plant as Metrosideros aromatica in 1796. Other later synonyms include:
- Eucalyptus aromatica (Salisb.) Domin
- Eucalyptus bottii Blakely
- Eucalyptus piperita Sm. var. piperita
- Eucalyptus piperita Sm. subsp. piperita
- Eucalyptus piperita var. laxiflora Benth.
- Eucalyptus piperita subsp. urceolaris (Maiden & Blakely) L.A.S.Johnson & Blaxell
- Eucalyptus urceolaris Maiden & Blakely
Uses
The volitile leaf oil of E.piperita has been used in stomach upsets.E.piperita 'type' has a fresh weight oil yield of 2.25% containing piperitone
Piperitone
Piperitone is a natural monoterpene ketone which is a component of some essential oils. Both stereoisomers, the D-form and the L-form, are known. The D-form has a peppermint-like aroma and has been isolated from the oils of plants from the genera Cymbopogon, Andropogon, and Mentha...
(40-50%) and phellandrene
Phellandrene
Phellandrene is the name for a pair of organic compounds that have a similar molecular structure and similar chemical properties. α-Phellandrene and β-phellandrene are cyclic monoterpenes and are double-bond isomers. In α-phellandrene, both double bonds are endocyclic and in β-phellandrene, one...
.
Australian botanist, Joseph Maiden
Joseph Maiden
Joseph Henry Maiden was a botanist who made a major contribution to knowledge of the Australian flora, especially the Eucalyptus genus. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation Maiden when citing a botanical name.Joseph Maiden was born in St John's Wood, London...
, was of the opinion that Dennis Considen
Dennis Considen
Dennis Considen was an Irish-born surgeon, best known for his pioneering role in the use of Australian native plants for pharmaceutical use, especially eucalyptus oil, which he used to treat the convicts...
, a surgeon on the First Fleet
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
deserves credit for being the first person to recognize the medicinal value of Eucalyptus oil
Eucalyptus oil
Eucalyptus oil is the generic name for distilled oil from the leaf of Eucalyptus, a genus of the plant family Myrtaceae native to Australia and cultivated worldwide. Eucalyptus oil has a history of wide application, as a pharmaceutical, antiseptic, repellent, flavouring, fragrance and industrial uses...
extracted from E. piperita found growing on the shores of Port Jackson
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney, Australia. It is known for its beauty, and in particular, as the location of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge...
in 1788. This view is based on a letter Considen wrote in November 1788 to an English colleague, Dr Anthony Hamilton, saying that "..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 these and many other simples[sic] to the benefit of the poor wretches here, I certainly claim it, being the first who discovered and recommended them". Considen dispatched an oil sample for further evaluation in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on the return voyage of the Golden Grove
Golden Grove (ship)
The Golden Grove was a First Fleet storeship built at Whitby in 1780. Her master was William Sharp, while the Fleet's chaplain Richard Johnson and his wife and servant also travelled to New South Wales on this ship. She left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787, and arrived at Port Jackson, Sydney,...
in 1788. John White
John White (surgeon)
John White was an English surgeon and botanical collector.White was born in Sussex and entered the Royal Navy on 26 June 1778 as third surgeon's mate. He was promoted surgeon in 1780, and was the principal surgeon during the voyage of the First Fleet to Australia...
, Surgeon General to the Colony, is also credited with the discovery, in documenting the matter and organizing oil samples to be sent back to England. The surgeons initially based their assumptions of the medicinal properties of E.piperita from the similarity of its fragrance to English peppermint.