Composition and chemical variation of the essential oil of Lepechinia salviaefolia (Kunth) Epl. from Venezuela

The chemical composition of the leaf oil of Lepechinia salviaefolia ( Kunth ) Epl. was determined by means of GC and GC/MS. Plant material from 60 indi vidual plants was investigated and the quantitative oil data were analyzed by a multivariate statistical analysis revealing two chemotypes. The major constituents of the palustrol-type (28 samples) were (-)-palustrol (19.1%), beta -phellandrene (13.8%), borneol (11.8%) and camphene (7.2%). The oil o f the premnaspirodiene-type (27 samples) was dominated by beta -phellandren e (13.3%), borneol (12.3%), (-) -premnaspirodiene (9.4%) and camphene (8.5% ). The presence of a third chemotype (5 samples) with delta -3-carene (12.9 %), T-cadinol (9.1%) and borneol (8.4%) became evident but has to be substa ntiated by analysis of further samples of plant material.