Essential Oil Profiles of Different Parts of Palmarosa (<i>Cymbopogon martinii</i>(Roxb.) Wats. var.<i>motia</i>Burk.)

Abstract

Abstract Essential oils distilled from whole herb, leaf lamina, leaf sheath and inflorescence of palmarosa plants cultivated in south India were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Inflorescence (2.00%) and leaf lamina (1.40%) produced significantly higher oil yield than whole herb (0.75%) and leaf sheath (0.33%). Palmarosa stem did not produce oil. Seventeen constituents accounting for 95.6–97.1% of the oils were identified. (E)-β-Ocimene (1.2–4.3%), linalool (0.8–2.0%), geraniol (70.1–85.3%), geranyl acetate (4.3–14.8%) and (E,Z)-farnesol (1.6–3.4%) were the major components. Whole herb oil was richer in linalool, β-caryophyllene and (E,Z)-farnesol. Leaf lamina and leaf sheath oils were richer in geraniol. Inflorescence oil was richer in (E)-β-ocimene and geranyl acetate. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report on the oil profiles of leaf lamina and leaf sheath of palmarosa.