Leaf Secretory Structure and Volatile Compounds of Eugenia copacabanensis Kiaersk. (Myrtaceae)

Abstract

Eugenia copacabanensis Kiaersk. (Myrtaceae) is restricted to salt marshes or restinga areas along the southeastern coast of Brazil. This work analyzes the leaf secretory structures and volatile compounds produced in E. copacabanensis plants collected in the Marambaia Restinga of Rio de Janeiro City. Simultaneous-distillation extraction (SDE), when combined with GC-FID and GC/MS analyses, revealed α-pinene (20.2%) and β-pinene (50.4%) as the major volatiles of this plant, proving that it is rich in monoterpenes. trans-Caryophyllene (10.3%) was the only sesquiterpene identified. Using light microscopy, E. copacabanensis leaves presented numerous randomly distributed oil secretory cavities in the mesophyll, while histochemical tests showed the presence of terpenoids and lipophilic substances accumulated in secretory cavities and parenchyma cells.

Key Word Index:

• Eugenia copacabanensis
• Kiaersk
• Myrtaceae
• Atlantic Rainforest
• α-pinene
• β-pinene
• caryophyllene
• restinga
• secretory activity
• simultaneous-distillation extraction
• volatile composition