The Essential Oils of Five Species of<i>Protium</i>Growing in the North of Brazil

Abstract

Abstract The essential oils of the leaves and thin branches of Protium decandrum, P. pilosum and P. spruceanum, and of the resins of P. altsonii and P. strumosum, were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/MS. The major constituent identified in the oil of P. decandrum was α-pinene (78.6%). The oil of P. pilosum was rich in α-pinene (31.7%), p-cymene (31.2%) and α-phellandrene (24.1%). Sabinene (56.3%), was the major constituent identified in the oil of P. spruceanum. The resin of the species P. strumosum and P. altsonii showed a totally different essential oil composition pattern, consisting of limonene (75.5%), and p-cymene (31.5%): trans-dihydro-α-terpineol (25.8%), respectively.