CONSTITUENTS OF THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF BAECKEA-FRUTESCENS L. FROM MALAYSIA

The leaf oils of Baeckea frutescens L., water-distilled from samples o btained from four different sites, were analysed by capillary GC and G C-MS. The oils were found to possess some compositional differences an d considerable variation in the levels of each component, suggesting t he existence of chemical varieties. The oils were rich in pinenes (39. 9-55.5%), with the exception of one sample which contained gamma-terpi nene at 34.1% as the dominant component. 1,8-Cineole, which was presen t in appreciable amounts in three samples, was conspicuously absent in one sample. Other compounds that were found as the main components of most of the samples were p-cymene, limonene, linalol, alpha-terpineol , beta-caryophyllene and alpha-humulene. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, L td.