STUDY OF THE ESSENTIAL LEAF OILS OF THE GENUS MONARDA (LABIATAE) |
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| Authors: | Rainer W. Scora |
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| Affiliation: | Department of Horticultural Sciences, University of California, Riverside |
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| Abstract: | Vapor-phase chromatographic patterns obtained from the distilled essential oils of 20 taxa in the genus Monarda (Labiatae) are discussed. The influence of leaf tissue maturity, plant habitat, and oil storage upon the composition of the essential oils was investigated, as well as similarities of leaf and flower oils in the same plant. The taxa of the subgenus Cheilyctis have very similar chromatographic “fingerprints” which confirm their homogeneity. On the other hand, the polyploid subgenus Monarda has heterogeneous patterns of essential oil composition among its species. A population of M. fistulosa gave evidence of being a chemical race. |
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