Abstract

Characteristics of leaf essential oil extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) from wild and domestication Chimonanthus praecox from Wanyuan City of Sichuan, China, were investigated. Their leaves had twenty-two common essential oil components containing the mains bornyl acetate, caryophyllene oxide and (-)-spathulenol. Their oils were characterized by sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes, especially, the oxygenated. However, the wild plants possessed higher essential oil content and more abundant chemical components than the domestication variety “Suxinmei”. The wild plants possessed sixty-four special components such as o-cymene, eucalyptol, γ-terpinene, linalool, etc, and most of them have enjoyable flavor and curative effect. But, “Suxinmei” was only with the three special components α-muurolene, γ-elemene and γ-himachalene, and without aromatic compounds. These results suggested that partial genetic materials controlling some especial nature products might have been changed or lost in the processes of evolution and domestication from wild to cultivar. It is of importance to powerfully protect and rationally utilize wild C. praecox germplasm resources.

Key words: Chimonanthus praecox, germplasm resources, leaf, hydrodistillation, GC-MS, essential oil, yield, chemical component.