Composition of the essential oils of Tanacetum spp. from Turkey

Water-distilled essential oil of leaves and flowers of Tanacetum argyrophyl lum (C, Koch) Tvzel. var. argyrophyllum and leaves of Tanacetum argenteum ( Lam.) Willd, subsp. canum (C. Koch) Grierson var. canum, herbal parts of Ta nacetum praeteritum (Horwood) Heywood subsp. praeteritum and Tanncetum prae teritum (Horwood) Heywood subsp. massicyticum Heywood (Compositae), endemic taxa, were analysed by CC-MS. Sixty-eight, 51, 50, 47 and 72 compounds, re presenting 90%, 86%, 72%, 91%, 83% of the oils, respectively, were identifi ed. alpha -Thujone (52% and 63%) was the major constituent of Tanacetum arg yrophyllum var. argyrophyllum leaf and Rower oils, respectively. Caryophyll ene oxide (13%) and alpha -thujone (12%) were found as the main constituent s of the oil of Tanacetum argenteum subsp. canum var, canum. Borneol (28%), 1,8-cineole (12%) and bornyl acetate (10%) were the major constituents of T. praeteritum subsp. praeteritum. In the oil of subsp. massicyticum, alpha -thujone (51%) and beta -thujone (10%) were characterized as the main cons tituents. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.