Essential oils of <i>Ocimum basilicum</i> L., <i>O. basilicum.</i> var. <i>minimum</i> L. and <i>O. basilicum.</i> var. <i>purpurascens</i> Benth. grown in north‐eastern Brazil

Abstract

Abstract Ocimum basilicum L. occurs everywhere in several forms, varieties and chemotypes whose essential oils presents marked variation on chemical composition. A new analysis of O. basilicum , O. basilicum var. minimum L. and O. basilicum var. purpuracens Benth. growing in north‐eastern Brazil showed that O. basilicum var. minimum represented a true estragole chemotype, while the other two species analysed may be considered linalool chemotypes. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.