Chemical Composition and Allelopathic Potential of Essential Oils Obtained from Acacia cyanophylla Lindl. Cultivated in Tunisia

Acacia cyanophylla Lindl . (Fabaceae), synonym Acacia saligna (Labill .) H. L.Wendl ., native to West Australia and naturalized in North Africa and South Europe, was introduced in Tunisia for rangeland rehabilitation, particularly in the semiarid zones. In addition, this evergreen tree represents a potential forage resource, particularly during periods of drought. A. cyanophylla is abundant in Tunisia and some other Mediterranean countries. The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation from different plant parts, viz., roots, stems, phyllodes, flowers, and pods (fully mature fruits without seeds), was characterized for the first time here. According to GC‐FID and GC/MS analyses, the principal compound in the phyllode and flower oils was dodecanoic acid ( 4 ), representing 22.8 and 66.5% of the total oil, respectively. Phenylethyl salicylate ( 8 ; 34.9%), heptyl valerate ( 3 ; 17.3%), and nonadecane (36%) were the main compounds in the root, stem, and pod oils, respectively. The phyllode and flower oils were very similar, containing almost the same compounds. Nevertheless, the phyllode oil differed from the flower oil for its higher contents of hexahydrofarnesyl acetone ( 6 ), linalool ( 1 ), pentadecanal, α‐terpineol, and benzyl benzoate ( 5 ) and its lower content of 4 . Principal component and hierarchical cluster analyses separated the five essential oils into four groups, each characterized by its main constituents. Furthermore, the allelopathic activity of each oil was evaluated using lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) as a plant model. The phyllode, flower, and pod oils exhibited a strong allelopathic activity against lettuce.