Seasonal Variation of Essential Oils in a Linalool-Rich Chemotype of Mentha spicata Grown Wild in Greece

摘要

The seasonal variations of the essential oil content and composition of a Mentha spicata population grown wild in Greece were examined.The oil content ranged from 0.1-1.8%,with the maximum values in late summer/early autumn.The essential oil obtained from the leaves was characterized by a very high content in linalool,i.e.85.0-93.9%of the total oil(highest percentage in mid-autumn).Other oil constituents occurring in much lower amounts were germacrene D(up to 4.2%),p-caryophyllene(up to 2.6%)and 1,8-cineole(up to 2.1%).