Polymorphism of Essential Oil in<i>Thymus pulegioides</i>subsp.<i>chamaedrys</i>in Slovakia

Abstract

ABSTRACT The essential oil variability was studied in 181 samples of Thymus pulegioides L. subsp. chamaedrys (Fries) Gusul. collected at 52 localities in eastern Slovakia. The set studied proved to represent five different chemotypes: fenchone-type, linalool-type, citral/geraniol-type, thymol-type and carvacrol-type. The fact that each population is represented by plants of various chemotypes demonstrates another case of chemical polymorphism in the genus. While in North Europe merely thymol and carvacrol types were found to occur in Thymus pulegioides, much higher chemotypic diversity is met within samples from Central Europe. This may be a consequence of higher level of genetic diversity as well.