Cajeput

Cajeput (Melaleuca leucodendron or minor), a tree of the order Myrtaceæ, sub-order Leptospermeæ, from the leaves of which the pungent, aromatic, volatile oil called Oil of Cajeput is obtained by distillation. The cajeput-tree is common on the mountains of the Moluccas. It is rather a small tree, with a crooked trunk, thick spongy bark, white wood, elliptical-lanceolate alternate evergreen leaves, and terminal spikes of white flowers. The greater number of the species are natives of Australia, some of them very beautiful shrubs and frequent in hothouses. The name is sometimes given in California to Umbellularia Californica, a handsome evergreen lauraceous tree affording a valuable cabinet-wood.