No abstract

The rhizome oils of three varieties of Scaphochlamys kunstleri (Bak.) Holtt. viz. S. kunstleri (Bak.) Holtt. var. kunstleri, S. kunstleri (Bak.) Holtt. var. rubra Ridl. and S. kunstleri (Bak.) Holtt. var. speciosa C. K. Lim var. nov. were investigated by capillary GC and GC/MS. The oils of S. kunstleri var. kunstleri and S. kunstleri rubra were rich in monoterpenoids and found to possess some compositional similarities but quantitative differences in the concentration of each component. However, the oils could be distinguished from each other by the levels of terpinolene, p-cymen-8-ol, δ-3-carene and p-cymene. In addition, the oil of S. kunstleri var. rubra contained significantly higher concentrations of terpinolene (67.1%) and δ-3-carene and relatively lower concentrations of p-cymen-8-ol and p-cymene than the other two oils. The oil of S. kunstleri var. speciosa comprised mainly of sesquiterpenoids, with (Z)-β-farnesene (7.5%) and γ-cadinene (7.4%) as the major representatives. Geraniol (9.1%) was the most dominant monoterpenoid present in the oil.