Composition and some biological activities of the essential oil of Callicarpa americana (L.)

The essential oil profile of Callicarpa americana was examined. Samples wer e collected from Lafayette county in north central Mississippi, and GC-MS d ata and retention indices were used to identify 67 oil components. Humulene epoxide II (13.9%), alpha-humulene (10.0%), 7-epi-alpha-eudesmol (9.4%), b eta-pinene (8.8%), and 1-octen-3-ol (8.5%) were the major components of the steam-distilled oil. The oil was selectively toxic toward the cyanobacteri um Oscillatoria perornata compared to Oscillatoria agardhii and the green a lga Selenastrum capricornutum, with complete growth inhibition at 28.5 mu g /mL. The oil was only mildly phytotoxic and antifungal.