Chemical variation in the essential oils of Hyptis mutabilis (Rich.) Briq.

The volatiles from leaves and fine stems of Hyptis mutabilis collected in the Amazon region were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GUMS. The major components identified in the two especimens collected in the localities of Lago Grande and Retiro das Pedras, state of Amapa, Brazil, were thymol (37.4%), p-cymene (19.3%) and gamma-terpinene (16.6%) in the former, and delta-3-carene (25.5%), terpinolene (24.7%) and globulol (11.9%) in the latter. The main compounds found in a third specimen, collected in the city of Belem, state of Para, Brazil, were beta-caryophyllene (18.4%), 1,8-cineole (16.8%) and bicyclogermacrene (12.6%). A fourth specimen, collected in the locality of Porto Almendra, Peru, was found to be rich in (E)- and (Z)-methyl cinnamate (70.0% and 9.8%, respectively).