Review of the Leaf Essential Oils of the Genus Backhousia Sens. Lat. and a Report on the Leaf Essential Oils of B. gundarara and B. tetraptera

Abstract

A review of the leaf oils of the 13 species now recognised in the genus Backhousia is presented. This review carries on from, and incorporates data from, an earlier (1995) review of the then recognised eight species. The leaf oils of two new species of Backhousia, B. gundarara and B. tetraptera are reported for the first time. B. gundarara contains a mixture of mono- and sesquiterpenes, with α-pinene (14%) and spathulenol (11%) being the main members. In B. tetraptera, the principal component of the mainly terpenoid leaf oil is myrtenyl acetate (20–40%). The review also incorporates the two species of the genus Choricarpia, which have been subsumed into Backhousia, viz. B. leptopetala and B. subargentea. Due to its history in Backhousia, Syzygium anisatum, which has been transferred out of Backhousia, is included in the review for historical reasons.