Studies on essential oil-bearing plants from Mozambique:: Part II.: Volatile leaf oil of needles of Pinus elliottii Engelm. and Pinus taeda L.

Essential oil composition of fresh needles from Pinus elliottii (slash pine) and Pinus taeda L. (loblolly pine) grown in Mozambique were investigated by a combination of GC and GC/M S. The present investigation revealed the following composition of P elliottii and P. taeda: tricyclene (2.1% and 3.8%), alpha-pinene (43.0% and 62.3%), beta-pinene (27.1% and 7.1%), limonene (2.9% and 2.0%), myrcene (2.3% and 1.8%) and beta-phellandrene (1.1% and 3.7%), respectively. Among the oxygenated monoterpenes present, the most significant was alpha-terpineol (9.6% and 2.3%, respectively). Expected regional variability on the chemical composition of the corresponding tree species was examined.