The leaf oils of the 10 Australian species of Medicosma have been examined. Medicosma cunninghamii produced an oil in which the principal components were the chromenes, evodionol and evodionol methyl ether, as well as the terpenes α-pinene, myrcene and (Z)-β-ocimene. In M. elliptica the major components were α-pinene (0.6-29%), sabinene (12-55%), myrcene (8-16%) and limonene (0.4-13%). Medicosma fareana produced an oil in which bicyclogermacrene (15-44%) was the principal component. M. glandulosa gave a variable oil in which α-pinene (t-35%),(1-8%) and spathulenol (3-10%) were the principal contributors, while for M. obovata, α-pinene (1-12%), limonene (10-13%), (E)-β-ocimene (14-23%), β-caryophyllene (17-19%) and α-humulene (6-14%) were the major components. Medicosma riparia produced a leaf oil that was evenly distributed between sesquiterpenes and aromatic components, the principal components being α-selinene (7-15%), and the two chromenes, evodionol (1-3%) and evodionol methyl ether (30-56%). Medicosma sessiliflora presented an almost completely sesquiterpenic oil with β-caryophyllene (3-11%), aromadendrene (5-14%), humulene (8-19%), and spathulenol (3-12%) as major components. The leaf oil of Medicosma sp. (East Mulgrave River R.L.Jago+ 3696) presented a sesquiterpenic oil in which the principal component was bicyclogermacrene (17-21%). Medicosma sp. (Karnak P.I. Forster+ PIF15541) produced a variable oil in which one sample contained 50% monoterpenes while the remainder were more heavily sesquiterpenic. The major compounds detected were α-pinene(1-40%), bicyclogermacrene (3-8%) and spathulenol (10-22%). The oil of Medicosma sp. (Mt Mellum P.I. Forster+ PIF25572) was dominated by α-pinene (38-54%) which was accompanied by lesser amounts of (Z)-β-ocimene (10-13%). Oil yields, with the exception of M. obovata, which were 1-2%, were low, being in the range 0.04-0.5% based on fresh leaves. None of the oils would appear to have an economic potential.
During the compilation of a list of rainforest plants in south-east Queensland, I came across Stone's (1985) account recording Microcitrus australasica (F. Muel!.) Swingle as occurring in southern Papua New Guinea. Microcitrus australasica has previously been considered to be endemic to the southern portion of the Moreton District in Queensland (Ross 1983) and the North Coast district of New South Wales (Jacobs & Pickard 1981) where it occurs in subtropical rainforest. Hence this record of Stone's was geographically unlikely.On examining a rather fragmentary duplicate of Brass 24924, which is probably one of the collections cited by Stone (1985) (as Brass 24934), I found it to be conspecific with Microcitrus garrawayae (Bailey) Swingle, described from Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, and previously recorded as endemic to Australia (Bailey 1904, Swingle 1915. As R.W. Garraway is indicated as 'Mrs' on various labels at BRI of plants from Cape York Peninsula, the epithet of this taxon should be correctly garrawayae and not 'garrawayi' as given originally by Bailey (1904) or 'Garrowayi' as given by Swingle (1915).
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