Regresar

Aromatic Species of The Lamiaceae Family From Ecuador

Abstract:

Family Lamiaceae is amongst the largest families of flowering plants with about 250 genera and over 7, 000 species distributed around the world. It is considered as the important source of essential oils. In Ecuador 219 species belonging to 27 genera of this family have been registered, of which about 29 species are endemic. In this chapter an over view of aromatic species belonging to the family Lamiaceae is presented, the chemical composition of the volatile fraction of these existing species in Ecuador is also reported. The plant material was collected in southern Ecuador and botanical specimens was identified by Herbario UTPL. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation and then analysed by gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Nine species were studied, including two species of the genus Clinopodium, two of the genus Hyptis, two of the genus Lepechinia, one of the genus Minthostachys, one of the genus Origanum and one of the genus Scutellaria. These species grow in the Andean forests, moors and dry inter-Andean valleys, over 1000 m a.s.l., less frequently in the dry forests of the Coast, Galapagos and Amazon. The principal constituents in essential oil of Clinopodium nubigenum was carvacrol acetate (38.1%), in Clinopodium taxifolium was Z-caryophyllene (24.1%) and in Hyptis suaveolens was eucalyptol (39.0%). Aromadendrene (24.6%) and δ-3-carene (19.9%) were the principal constituents in essential oils of Lepechinia paniculata and Lepechinia radula, respectively. Minthostachys mollis essential oil reported (Z)-dihidro carvone (13.2%). In the essential oil of Origanum vulgare was identified γ-terpinene with a relative abundance of 20.8%. Germacrene D was principal constituents in essential oils of Scutellaria volubilis with 20.4% and in Hyptis pectinata with 34.1%.