Variation in Volatile Leaf Oils of Five Eucalyptus Species Harvested from Jbel Abderrahman Arboreta (Tunisia)

Abstract

Hydrodistillation of the dried leaves of five species of the genus Eucalyptus L' Hér., viz., E. dundasii Maiden, E. globulus Labill., E. kitsoniana Maiden, E. leucoxylon F. Muell., and E. populifolia Hook., harvested from Jbel Abderrahman arboreta (region of Nabeul, northeast of Tunisia) in April 2006, afforded essential oils in yields varying from 0.9±0.3 to 3.8±0.6%, dependent on the species. E. globulus and E. Kitsoniana provided the highest and the lowest percentage of essential oil amongst the species examined, respectively. Analysis by GC (RI) and GC/MS allowed the identification of 127 compounds, representing 93.8 to 98.7% of the total oil composition. The contents of the different samples varied according to the species. The main components were 1,8-cineole (2; 4.7-59.2%), followed by α-pinene (1; 1.9-23.6%), trans-pinocarveol (6; 3.5-21.6%), globulol (8; 4.3-12.8%), p-cymene (3; 0.5-6.7%), α-terpineol (1.5-4.5%), borneol (0.2-4.4%), pinocarvone (1.1-3.8%), aromadendrene (1.4-3.4%), isospathulenol (0.0-1.9%), fenchol (4; 0.1-2.5%), limonene (1.0-2.4%), epiglobulol (0.6-2.1%), viridiflorol (9; 0.8-1.8%), and spathulenol (0.1-1.6%). E. leucoxylon was the richest species in 2. Principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) separated the five Eucalyptus leaf essential oils into four groups, each constituting a chemotype.

Chemical composition of 8 eucalyptus species' essential oils and the evaluation of their antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activities

“…The chromatographic analysis (GC retention index (RI) and GC/MS) of the essential oils allowed the identification of 144 components representing 87.40 to 99.37% of the total oil content [23-25]. Twenty five major compounds at an average concentration greater than 0.9 ± 0,2% have been retained for the statistical analysis (Table 1).…”

Variation in Volatile Leaf Oils of Seven Eucalyptus Species Harvested from Zerniza Arboreta (Tunisia)

“…-In our previous studies published on Eucalyptus species growing in Tunisia, we have characterized the leaf essential oils of 19 Eucalyptus species harvested from Hajeb Layoun arboreta (center of Tunisia) [1] [2], 13 species from Souinet arboreta (north of Tunisia) [3], 11 species from Korbous arboreta (northeast of Tunisia) [4], and 5 from Jbel Abderrahman arboreta (region of Nabeul, northeast of Tunisia) [5]. Continuing our investigations on Tunisian Eucalyptus species, we report here the results of our research on the variability of eight leaf essential oils from seven Eucalyptus species, viz., E. cladocalyx F.…”

Using a global botanic gardens database to help assess the capabilities of rare eucalypt species to cope with climate change

“…Unlike most of the other rare species considered here, two references indicate the ability of E. kitsoniana to grow under warmer conditions than those within its natural distribution. For example, Elaissi et al (2011) reported on leaf oils from E. kitsoniana grown at Jbel Abderrahman Arboretum near Nabuel (36.4561 o N, 10.7376 o E) in Tunisia where the annual mean temperature is 17.9 o C and the annual mean precipitation is 358 mm. Siddiqui et al (1985) discuss the suitability of E. kitsoniana for growing in Pakistan after the species produced "very good growth and acceptable survival" at Mirpur Mathelo ( .…”