Characteristicsof Leaf and Essential Oil Yield of Five Cajuput Tree Species

Leavessignifies as the most important part of cajuput-oil-producing tree species from which the corresponding oil is extracted. Dimensionof leaf vary among different genus and even among different trees within the same genus as well as within the same species. In relevant, this research aimed to look into the characteristics of the leaf and essential oil yield of the five cajuput-oil-producing tree species. Those investigated species consisted of Melaleuca viridiflora (red-flowered trees), M. viridiflora (white-flowered trees), M. cajuputi, Asteromyrtus brasii and A. symphiocarpa, which altogether indigenously grew at Wasur National Park, in Merauke (Papua). From those five species, approximately 6 kg of fresh leaf was taken and prepared for the steam-distillation process to extract their cajuput oil. In total, there were about 120 pieces of leaves as sampled that represented the dimension of all those five species. Results shows that the leaves of M.viridiflora exhibited the biggest dimension (length and width), while those of consecutively M. cajuputi has the smallest length and A. brasii had the smallest width. Leaves of A. symphiocarpa afforded the biggest oil yield (1,43 %) and Melaleuca viridiflora (red-flowered trees) had the smallest oil yield (<0,1 %).