Salvia lavandulifolia (Spanish sage, Lamiaceae) is widely cultivated in the Mediterranean region and used for the flavor and food industry, perfumery and medicinal purposes. The essential oil, which is responsible for the specific flavor, is produced and stored in specialized epidermal oil glands. In S. lavandulifolia peltate essential oil glands occur on all aerial parts of the plant. The content of single oil glands from different positions on the plant (leaf, calyx, corolla and anther) were directly sampled using a solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) fiber and analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS in order to study the variability of the essential oil composition. It was found that the composition of terpenoids is quite variable within a plant. The leaves and calyces are characterized by the main compounds, 1,8-cineole, camphor and β-pinene, and by the sesquiterpenes α-humulene and β-caryophyllene. The corolla shows the highest proportion of borneol, but a low concentration of camphor. In the essential oil of the anthers the percentages of limonene, β-pinene and the diterpene manool are by far higher than in all other plant parts, whereas the proportions of camphor and the sesquiterpenes are considerably lower.
Yield and Essential Oil Composition of Thymus eigii (M. Zohary & P.H. Davis) Jalas Leaves and Flowers at Various Growth Stages in the Mediterranean Region
