Characterization of Essential Oil Composition of Lavender Grown in Different Regions of Southern China

Abstract:

In order to understand the chemical constituents of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.×L. latifolia Medik.) derived from different areas, the essential oils of flowers were extracted from Puyuan (PY), Xiamen (XM) and Kunming (KM) by using steam distillation method, the chemical constituents and relative contents were analyzed by GC-MS. The results showed that yield of essential oils from PY, XM and KM were 6.6%, 3.1% and 3.2%, respectively. There were 50, 59 and 44 compounds detected from PY, XM and KM, respectively, among which the contents of eucalyptol, α-bisabolol, camphor and linalool together accounted for more than 75% of the total essential oils. The main constituents had no significant difference among three regions, but their contents were quite different from each other, and the components of essential oils had differnces. Furthermore, the contents of eucalyptol, camphor and α-bisabolol had relation to altitude and average annual rainfall.

Key words:Lavender;Essential oil;Chemical compositon;Southern China