Chemical composition of the essential oil of Pistacia lentiscus L. from Morocco—a seasonal variation

Air‐dried aerial parts of Pistacia lentiscus L. collected from different regions of Morocco (Mehdia, Oulmes and Chaouen) were water‐distilled to produce oil in 0.2% yields. The chemical composition of P. lentiscus oils changes from a region to another. The variations in chemical composition are important between plant populations. A total of 45 constituents were identified. The major oil components of P. lentiscus from Oulmes were α ‐pinene (16.5–38.5%), β ‐myrcene (10.2–11.5%) and limonene (6.8–9.8%), while terpinen‐4‐ol (32.7–43.8%), α ‐pinene (7.1–13.5%) and bornyl acetate (6.8–10.3%) were the main constituents of Chaouen oil. For P. lentiscus from Mehdia, terpinen‐4‐ol (14.5–19.3%), caryophyllene oxide (6.5–10.3%) and limonene (6.7–8.1%) were the major components. The effect of harvesting time on the oil production and chemical composition was also examined at different vegetative stages (December–June). For the three locations, the best oil content was obtained during the flowering period March–June.