Summary: | A review of the leaf oils of the 13 species now recognised in the genus <i>Backhousia</i> is presented. This review carries on from, and incorporates data from, an earlier (1995) review of the then recognised eight species. The leaf oils of two new species of <i>Backhousia</i>, <i>B. gundarara</i> and <i>B. tetraptera</i> are reported for the first time. <i>B. gundarara</i> contains a mixture of mono- and sesquiterpenes, with α-pinene (14%) and spathulenol (11%) being the main members. In <i>B. tetraptera</i>, the principal component of the mainly terpenoid leaf oil is myrtenyl acetate (20–40%). The review also incorporates the two species of the genus <i>Choricarpia</i>, which have been subsumed into <i>Backhousia</i>, <i>viz. B. leptopetala</i> and <i>B. subargentea</i>. Due to its history in <i>Backhousia</i>, <i>Syzygium anisatum</i>, which has been transferred out of <i>Backhousia</i>, is included in the review for historical reasons.
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