EXTRACTIVES OF AUSTRALIAN TIMBERS .16. CONSTITUENTS OF WOOD OF EUGENIA-CREBRINERVIS (SYN SYZIGIUM-CREBRINERVE) AND EUGENIA-GUSTAVIOIDES (SYN CLEISTOCALYX-GUSTAVIOIDES)

Extraction of the wood of E. crebrinervis yielded ellagic acid and a triterpenoid fraction composed of a 1:1 mixture of asiatic acid and arjunolic acid. Extraction of the wood of E. gustavioides gave a mixture of triterpenoid acids (2.7% of the dry weight of the wood) of which crategolic acid (about 1%) is the principal constituent; other major constituents are asiatic acid and arjunolic acid, while oleanolic acid, ursolic acid and 2.alpha.-hydroxyursolic acid are minor constituents. In both Eugenia species the .alpha.-amyrin component occurs with the corresponding .beta.-amyrin analogue giving a mixture separable only with difficulty; use has been made of the previously described chlorination procedure to enable comparatively easy isolation of the .alpha.-amyrin component.