Abstract
The chemical composition of 18 essential oil samples of the aerial parts of various flower color types of Tagetes minuta from Madagascar has been characterized by GC and GC/MS. The main components were limonene (3.6–11%), (Z)-β-ocimene (1.0–17.1%), (E)- β-ocimene (0.5–14.6%), p-cymene (0.3–20.4%), β-caryophyllene (1.1–12.7%), (Z)- tagetenone (tr-26.7%), (E)-tagetenone (tr-31.3%), α-muurolene (tr-36.5%), and verbenone (1.4–15.4%). Results show the occurrence of various chemotypes reach in tagete derivatives (up to 80%) or in terpene derivatives (up to 76%).