Constituents of the Bark of Fraxinus Species (Oleaceae). IV

The Fraxinus genus can be divided roughly into two groups of Fraxinus sect. Ornus and Fraxinus sect. Fraxinus. The eight kinds of the Fraxinus genus plants described up to the previous report all belong to the former, while F. mandshurica Ruprecht and var. japonica Max., belong to the latter. The aqueous extract of the latter does not show any fluorescence and appears as if they were a totally different species from the former. A crystalline substance of m.p. 172-173° was obtained from F. mandshurica and var. japonica which does not show fluorescence; gives an acetate of m.p. 140-141°, and a methyl ether of m.p. 74-75°. This substance is identical with fraxinol obtained by Späth (Ber. 70, 698 (1937)) from the bark of Fraxinus excelsior L.