Characterisation of the essential oil from different aerial parts of Lindera chunii Merr. (Lauraceae).

The essential oils from three organs (i.e. flowers, leaves and stems) of wild Lindera chunii Merr. in Dinghu Mountain (China) were obtained by microwave-assisted hydrodistillation. The essential oils were analysed by gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. The yields of essential oil varied from 0.06% to 0.59% and showed a remarkable variation among the plant organs. A total of 43 compounds accounting for 95.4-96.3% of the total essential oil were identified, and the major compounds were germacrene B (0.7-43.2%), viridiflorene (trace to 14.6%), globulol (6.3-11.6%), α-cadinol (1.7-8.6%) and τ-cadinol (0.5-7.3%). This study shows that the chemical compositions of the essential oils from the different organs of L. chunii are very variable.