Comparison of essential oil composition of Stachys menthifolia Vis. from two natural habitats in Croatia

Abstract

Ćavar, S., Maksimović, M., Šolić, M. E.: Comparison of Essential Oil Composition of Stachysmenthifolia Vis. from Two Natural Habitats in Croatia. Biologica Nyssana, 1 (1-2), December 2010: 99-103.

Stachys menthifolia Vis. is an endemic species from the Balkan Peninsula. Aerial parts of the plant werecollected from its natural habitat near Dubrovnik. Hydrodistilled volatile oil obtained from the plant materialof S. menthifolia was subjected to gas chromatographic analysis coupled to mass spectrometry. More than 70compounds were identified, representing 94.5% of the total oil. The major constituents of the oil werediterpenoid 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 samespecies 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 compositionsdepending on the location and stage of plant development, this work indicates that chemical polymorphism ofendemic S. menthifolia does not manifest in the region of Croatian Mediterranean area.

Key words: abietatriene, essential oil, GC-MS, Stachys menthifolia Vis.