Scents from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Biome: chemical composition of essential oils from the leaves and flowers of seven species of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae)

Ipomoea alba, I. indica, I. amnicola, I. tiliacea, I. carnea, I. pes-caprae and I. batatas occur in fragments of the Atlantic Forest in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Essential oils from the leaves and flowers of these plants were analyzed using GC/FID and GC/MS. Ninety-one compounds were identified, accounting for more than 95% of the oils analyzed. Differences in the chemical profile were found among the Ipomoea oils. Greater chemical diversity was found in the leaf oils. beta-Caryophyllene (leaves: 7.0 +/- 0.6 to 42.1 +/- 1.6%; flowers: 6.4 +/- 0.8 to 36.5 +/- 1.3%) was identified in abundance in all oils. cis-Cadina-1(6),4-diene was another sesquiterpene found in high percentages in the oils (11.8 +/- 0.9 to 44.2 +/- 1.7%), but was absent from the I. alba oils, in which the major constituent was germacrene D (leaves: 27.8 +/- 1.0%; flowers: 45.8 +/- 2.0%).