An examination of the leaf essential oils of the endemic Melaleuca (Myrtaceae) species of New Caledonia

Abstract

The leaf essential oils of the seven endemic New Caledonian species of the genus Melaleuca have been examined. Melaleuca sphaerodendra var. microphylla and Melaleuca brevisepala produced oils in which β-caryophyllene (28.8% and 26.8% respectively) was the principal component. α-Pinene (24.8%) and β-caryophyllene (14.1%) were the principal compounds detected in the leaf oil of Melaleuca pancheri. Melaleuca brongniartii produced an oil in which the principal monoterpenes were α-pinene (23.3%), β-pinene (10.3%) and limonene (19.8%). γ-Terpinene (15.2%), p-cymene (12.8%) and terpinolene (17.5%) were the major components in the leaf essential oil of Melaleuca buseana, whereas the leaf oil of Melaleuca dawsonii contained α-pinene (12.8%) and α-phellandrene (10.3%) as principal components. In Melaleuca gnidioides α-pinene (23.6%), β-pinene (13.6%) and spathulenol (14.7%) were the major components. All of these oils differed from the leaf oil of Melaleuca quinquenervia, an indigenous New Caledonian species also found in Australia and New Guinea.

Keywords:

• Melaleuca brevisepala
• Melaleuca brongniartii
• Melaleuca buseana
• Melaleuca dawsonii
• Melaleuca gnidioides
• Melaleuca pancheri
• Melaleuca sphaerodendra var. microphylla
• Melaleuca quinquenervia
• β-caryophyllene
• α-pinene
• limonene
• α-phellandrene
• γ-terpinene
• β-pinene
• spathulenol
• essential oils

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Jean-Pierre Butin, Irène and Daniel Létocart for their help during the collection of New Caledonian Melaleuca species. We also wish to thank the herbarium NOU for confirmation of voucher specimen identifications.