Essential oil of an unidentified Illicium species from Ninh Binh Province,Vietnam

The chemical composition of leaf, branch, trunk-bark and root-bark oils of an unidentified Illicium species was investigated by several analytical tec hniques (GC, GC-MS and C-13-NMR). Thirty-six constituents were identified. The leaf and branch oils were characterized by a large amount of linalool ( 30.3 and 33.4%), while safrole was the major compound of the trunk- and roo t-bark oils (60.2 and 77.7%, respectively). In addition to phenotypic and g enetic parameters, the composition of the essential oil could be a factor t o be considered in determining the plant taxonomy of this species of Illici um, discovered in Ninh Binh Province (North Vietnam). (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.