The essential oil composition of Bubonium graveolens (Forssk.) Maire from the Algerian Sahara

The chemical compositions of the essential oils from the leaves and flowers of the endemic medicinal plant Bubonium graveolens, collected from south-western Algeria, were established by GC-MS analysis. A total of 43 compounds were identified, representing, for leaves and flowers respectively, 97% and 97.6% of the total oil composition. 1,8-Cineole (21.5% in leaves, 16.5% in flowers), delta-cadinol (19.1% in leaves, 13.9% in flowers) were the major compounds identified. The flower oil was characterized by a high percentage of 2,6-dimethyl-1,6-heptadien-4-yl acetate (19.4%) and trans-chrysanthenyl acetate (18.7%). delta-Cadinene (12.4%) was detected exclusively in the leaf oil. This is the first report on the chemical compounds of the oil of the B. graveolens. Copyright (C) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.