Phytochemical investigation of the essential oil from the ‘resurrection plant’Myrothamnus moschatus(Baillon) Niedenzu endemic to Madagascar

The composition of the essential oil hydrodistilled from the aerial parts of the ‘resurrection plant’ Myrothamnus moschatus (Baillon) Niedenzu endemic to Madagascar was investigated for the first time by gas chromatography (GC/flame ionization detector and GC/mass spectrometry). Forty components were identified in the oil, representing 98.2–98.6% of the total composition. The oil composition was dominated by oxygenated monoterpenes (73.5–75.0%), with trans-pinocarveol (35.6–36.3%) and pinocarvone (19.8–20.0%) as the most representative. Other components occurring in significant amounts were β-selinene (8.5%) and perillyl acetate (6.0–12.7%). No significant differences were detected in the major volatiles between the two different biological forms (flowering period and dry season) in which the plant naturally occurs.