Population Variability of Essential Oils of Pinus heldreichii from the Scardo‐Pindic Mountains Ošljak and Galičica

Abstract

The needle-terpene profiles of two natural Pinus heldreichii populations from Mts. Ošljak and Galičica (Scardo-Pindic mountain system) were analyzed. Among the 68 detected compounds, 66 were identified. The dominant constituents were germacrene D (28.7%), limonene (27.1%), and α-pinene (16.2%). β-Caryophyllene (6.9%), β-pinene (5.2%), β-myrcene (2.3%), pimaric acid (2.0%), α-humulene (1.2%), and seven additional components were found to be present in medium-to-high amounts (0.5-10%). Although the general needle-terpene profile of the population from Galičica was similar to those of the populations from Lovćen, Zeletin, Bjelasica, and Zlatibor-Pešter (belonging to the Dinaric Alps), the principle-component analysis (PCA) of seven terpenes (β-myrcene, limonene, β-elemene, β-caryophyllene, α-humulene, δ-cadinene, and germacrene D-4-ol) in 121 tree samples suggested a partial divergence in the needle-terpene profiles between the populations from the Scardo-Pindic mountain system and the Dinaric Alps. According to previously reported data, the P. heldreichii samples from the Balkan-Rhodope mountains lack β-caryophyllene and germacrene D, but contain γ-muurolene in their terpene profile. Differences in the terpene composition between populations growing in the three above-mentioned mountain systems were compared and discussed.

Needle Terpenes as Chemotaxonomic Markers in Pinus: Subsections Pinus and Pinaster

“…In P. heldreichii (Bosnian pine) needle oil the major constituents were germacrene D (35.5%) and limonene + β ‐phellandrene (30.4%), with α ‐pinene and β ‐caryophyllene detected in medium amounts (10.0 and 6.1%, resp.). Quite similar chemical profiles have been reported for needle oils of P. heldreichii oil from Greece (hydrodistillation), Macedonia (pentane extracts), Serbia and Montenegro (pentane extracts), with limonene, germacrene D, and α ‐pinene being the main components of the oils. The most unique chemical profile was reported by Ioannou et al .…”

Chemical Composition and Interpopulation Variability of Essential Oils of Taxus baccata L. from Serbia

“…). The present and other recent studies suggest that tectonic changes in the distant past influenced the chemical diversity of relict conifers.…”

Phytochemical composition, anti-inflammatory activity and cytotoxic effects of essential oils from three Pinus spp.

“…There is a partial divergence to the dominant constituents (germacrene D > limonene > α-pinene) found by Nikolić et al. ( 2015 ) in needle EOs in populations of Mts. Ošljak and Galičica; Macedonia.…”