Essential oils of Micromeria dalmatica Benth., a Balkan endemic species of section Pseudomelissa

Abstract

The essential oils of 13 Greek populations of Micromeria dalmatica, a Balkan endemic species and member of the section Pseudomelissa, were examined for the first time. Among the studied populations, two main oil types could be distinguished. Type I was found to be rich in β-pinene, limonene, and germacrene D (accounting for 55.6-70.2% of the total oil), and Type II was characterized by the preponderance of p-menthane compounds (accounting for 64.2-89.9% of the oil). The latter oil type could be further divided into two subtypes, one comprising oils with predominance of piperitenone and piperitenone oxide and another composed of oils containing high proportions of pulegone, menthone, and isomenthone. The abundance of p-menthane compounds is a common feature of the oils of all members of the section Pseudomelissa studied to date. However, the existence of oils of Type I has not been previously reported for M. dalmatica, neither for other members of the section Pseudomelissa.