ESSENTIAL LEAF OILS IN REPRESENTATIVES OF THE AURANTIOIDEAE (RUTACEAE)

The distribution of essential leaf oils in representatives of 12 genera in the Aurantioideae has been studied by gas chromatography. Of the individual oil components, 40 were identified by retention times on two columns, augmentation, and some by IR spectrophotometry. Twelve groupings of components were established and these compared between the tribes Clauseneae and Citreae , among the subtribes clauseninae , balsamocitbinae , and citrinae , and between the “primitive” and the “near citrus group.” The essential oils conform to the botanical groupings, except for Pleiospermium in the citrinae and Murraya in the clauseneae. Fortunello crassifolia (Citbeae ), a possible garden hybrid, seems to be more closely related to the Clauseneae , the remote citroids, than to the near Citrus group. Atalantia also might be an intertribal hybrid with remote or other citroids. A specimen of Aeglopsis chevalieri (balsamocitbinae ) from Florida appears to be of hybrid origin with the parental source close to Citrus.