''Eucalyptus piperita'', commonly known as Sydney peppermint and urn-fruited peppermint, is a small to medium forest tree native to

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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

urceolate This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary ...

(urn shaped) to barrel shaped, especially on the sides of valleys.

Taxonomy and naming

Specimens of ''E. piperita'' were first collected by

First Fleet The First Fleet were eleven British ships which transported a group of settlers to mainland Australia, marking the beginning of the History of Australia (1788–1850), European colonisation of Australia. It consisted of two Royal Navy vessel ...

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 In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

''piperita'' because its odour of its

essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the ...

was so similar to that of ''Mentha'' × ''piperita'', the

peppermint Peppermint (''Mentha'' × ''piperita'') is a Hybrid (biology), hybrid species of Mentha, mint, a cross between Mentha aquatica, watermint and spearmint. Indigenous to Europe and the Middle East, the plant is now widely spread and cultivated in m ...

. 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'', 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 publ ...

'', but this did not stop

Richard Anthony Salisbury Richard Anthony Salisbury (born Richard Anthony Markham; 2 May 1761 – 23 March 1829) was a British botanist. While he carried out valuable work in horticultural and botanical sciences, several bitter disputes caused him to be ostracised by hi ...

publishing the same plant as ''Metrosideros aromatica'' in 1796.

Distribution and habitat

Sydney peppermint occurs in the tablelands and coastal areas of central and southern New South Wales, especially on the sides of valleys.

Uses

The volatile 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 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 gene ...

(40–50%) and

phellandrene Phellandrenes are organic compounds with the formula . They 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 dou ...

. Australian botanist,

Joseph Maiden Joseph Henry Maiden (25 April 1859 – 16 November 1925) was a botanist who made a major contribution to knowledge of the Australian flora, especially the genus ''Eucalyptus''. This botanist is denoted by the author abbreviation when citing ...

, was of the opinion that

Dennis Considen Dennis Considen (died 1815) 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. He sailed with the First Fleet ...

, a surgeon on the

deserves credit for being the first person to recognize the medicinal value of

Eucalyptus oil Eucalyptus oil is the generic name for distilled oil from the leaves of ''Eucalyptus'', a genus of the plant family Myrtaceae, mostly native to Australia but cultivated worldwide. Eucalyptus oil has a history of wide application, as a pharmace ...

extracted from ''E. piperita'' found growing on the shores of

Port Jackson Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta ...

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 icto 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 is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

on the return voyage of the in 1788. John White, Surgeon General to the Colony, is also credited with the discovery, in documenting the matterLassak, E.V., & McCarthy, T., ''Australian Medicinal Plants'', Methuen Australia, 1983, p. 15, . 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.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2512210 piperita Flora of New South Wales Myrtales of Australia Trees of Australia Taxa named by James Edward Smith Plants described in 1793 Least concern flora of Australia

Description

Taxonomy and naming

Distribution and habitat

Uses

See also

References