Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils of the Iberian Peninsula Endemic Species Eryngium dilatatum Lam.

Eryngium dilatatum Lam. is a thorny Iberian Peninsula endemic species belonging to the Apiaceae family that has not been previously analysed from a chemical point of view. Following our studies on this genus, we characterized the chemical composition of the essential oils from the different parts (inflorescences, stems + leaves, and roots) of this species; these parts were gathered in Cádiz (Spain). The specimens were collected in July during the flowering period and air-dried before the oil extraction by hydro-distillation. The essential oils were analysed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The different parts of the plant yielded low amounts of pale yellow oil, with the roots being the fraction that provided the lowest amount of oil. The chemical characterization of the essential oils showed qualitative and quantitative differences between the fractions examined, but all of them showed the same principal compound, germacrene D (9.1-46.5%). Similarly, all the fractions shared most of their representative constituents, with their percentage compositions being different from one sample to the other: α-cadinol (3.8%), bicyclogermacrene (3.5%), octanal (3.1%), and spathulenol (2.5%) were found in the inflorescences; octanal (8.1%), α-cadinol (3.7%), δ-cadinene (3.6%), (E)-caryophyllene (2.6%), bicyclogermacrene (2.5%), and spathulenol (2.4%) were found in the stems and leaves; and spathulenol (4.6%), α-cadinol (4.4%), khusinol (3.2%), α-muurolol (3.1%), and δ-cadinene (2.6%) were found in the roots. As far as we know, this is the first report about the chemical composition of this endemic species of the Iberian Peninsula. It contributes to the knowledge of this species and to the genus to which it belongs. This species could be considered as a natural source of germacrene D, which is a sesquiterpene hydrocarbon with active properties.

Analysis of the essential oil composition from the different parts of Eryngiumglaciale Boiss. from Spain.

The essential oil from the different parts (inflorescences, stems + leaves and roots) of Eryngium glaciale Boiss. gathered in Sierra Nevada (Spain) has been extracted by steam distillation and analysed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Quantitative but not qualitative differences have been found between the analysed parts. The principal compounds from the inflorescences oil were found to be phyllocladene isomer (43.5%), (E)-caryophyllene (15.2%) and valencene (11.5%), while the oil from stems and leaves only showed phyllocladene isomer (41.3%) as main one. The oil from the roots presented phyllocladene isomer (49.4%) and linalool (19.1%) as major constituents. This is the first report on the chemical composition of this species.

The Biflavonoid Pattern of the Moss Bartramia ithyphylla (Bartramiaceae, Musci).

From Bartramia ithyphylla the following five biflavonoids were isolated: philonotisflavone, 2,3-dihydrophilonotisflavone, dicranolomin, 5',3'''-dihydroxyamentoflavone and 5'-hydroxyamentoflavone.