Essential Oil Profiles and their Possible Use in Hybridization of Some Common Scented Geraniums

The essential oil profiles of some common scented geraniums were investigated using GC/M S. These include the following Pelargonium species and cultivars in the family Geraniaceae: P. graveolens, L'Hérit., P. radens H. E. Moore, P. capitatum (L.) L'Hérit. ex Aiton, P. tomentosumjacq., ‘Mabel Grey’, ‘Frensham’, ‘Citronella’, ‘Rober's Lemon Rose’, ‘Camphor Rose’ and ‘Godfrey's Pride’. There was a strong correlation between the odor of the main essential oil components and that of the overall odor of the Pelargonium studied. There was also a correlation between the essential oil profile of the hybrids and that of parents, indicating its potential taxonomic viability. This indicates that a hybridization program could be suggested by the essential oil profiles of different species in order to produce a commercially viable hybrid for the perfumery or food industry. Variations are found when the present data are compared with the published data. These could be due to the proliferation of hybrid and cultivar misnomers which leads to a confusion between species and hybrids, the use of different hybrids of the same species or the existence of infraspecific chemical differences.