Leaf Essential Oils of the Genus Waterhousea (Myrtaceae)

Abstract

The leaf oils of the four species of Waterhousea have been investigated by GC and GC/MS. Waterhousea floribunda gave a variable oil that in most cases was dominated by α- and β-pinene (17–21%), while at the other extreme the major compounds were sesquiterpenes, with no one compound predominating. W. hedraiophylla gave an oil dominated by Sesquiterpenes with spathulenol, calamenene, δ-cadinene and bicyclogermacrene being the principal components. W. unipunctata also gave a sesquiterpenic oil with germacrene D (8.2–25.6%), bicyclogermacrene (3.2–12.3%), globulol (0.4–15.8%) and viridiflorol (0.2–9.6%) being the principal components. Apart from containing both mono- and Sesquiterpenes, Waterhousea mulgraveana oil also contained mixtures from 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene, 2,4,6-trimethoxyethylbenzene, 2,4,6-trimethoxystyrene and 2,4,6-trimethoxy-3,5-dirnethylstyrene.

Key Word Index:

• Waterhousea floribunda
• Waterhousea hedraiophylla
• Waterhousea mulgraveana
• Waterhousea unipunctata
• Myrtaceae
• essential oil composition
• α-pinene
• β-pinene
• spathulenol
• germacrene D
• bicyclogermacrene
• globulol
• 2,4,6-trimethoxyethylbenzene
• 2,4,6-trimethoxy-3,5-dimethylstyrene