Biologica Nyssana (Dec 2010)
Comparison of essential oil composition of Stachys menthifolia Vis. from two natural habitats in Croatia
Abstract
Stachys menthifolia Vis. is an endemic species from the Balkan Peninsula. Aerial parts of the plant were collected from its natural habitat near Dubrovnik. Hydrodistilled volatile oil obtained from the plant material of S. menthifolia was subjected to gas chromatographic analysis coupled to mass spectrometry. More than 70 compounds were identified, representing 94.5% of the total oil. The major constituents of the oil were diterpenoid abietatriene (11.7%), and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons α-bisabolene (8.4%), and β-caryophyllene (7.4%). Presented results are comparable to our previous findings on essential oil composition of the same species from Biokovo Mountain, with small differences in quantitative and qualitative constitution of the oil. Although plants belonging to the Stachys genus show significant variability in their chemical compositions depending on the location and stage of plant development, this work indicates that chemical polymorphism of endemic S. menthifolia does not manifest in the region of Croatian Mediterranean area.
