The essential oil composition of Picea sitchensis growing in the Oregon Coast Range

Abstract

Article InformationPicea sitchensis (Sitka spruce) is a very large tree that is locally common in the moist coastal ranges of the Pacific Northwest. The purpose of this work was to obtain and analyze the foliar essential oil of the Sitka spruce growing in the Oregon Coast Range. Foliage from three individual trees was collected and the essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation. The essential oils were analyzed by gas chromatographic techniques (GC-MS, GC-FID, and chiral GC-MS). The major components in the essential oils were αpinene (1.2-12.5%, > 85% (-)-α-pinene), β-pinene (1.2-7.2%, > 95% (-)-β-pinene), myrcene (15.9-22.2%), β-phellandrene (9.1-25.1%, > 99% (-)-β-phellandrene), isoamyl isovalerate (2.3-6.4%), 3-methyl-3-butenyl isovalerate (1.5-6.9%), and piperitone (2.9-18.0%, > 98% (-)-piperitone). The essential oil compositions of the Oregon samples are qualitatively similar to samples from British Columbia. However, sampling from other populations at other latitudes and at different seasons of the year would be necessary to fully describe the volatile chemistry of this species.