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Leaf essential oil composition of five Zanthoxylum species from Monteverde, Costa Rica

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Abstract

The leaf essential oils from five species of Zanthoxylum (Rutaceae) from Monteverde, Costa Rica, have been obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The species examined include Z. fagara, Z. acuminatum, Z. melanostictum, Z. monophyllum, and an undescribed species. The most abundant classes of compounds found in Zanthoxylum leaf oils are acyclic and menthane monoterpenoids as well as simple alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones. In terms of molecular diversity, menthane and acyclic monoterpenoids, cadinane and mesocyclic sesquiterpenoids, and simple alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones dominate the essential oils of Zanthoxylum species. Monoterpenoids make up the majority of the mass of the leaf oils of Z. monophyllum, Z. acuminatum, Z. fagara, and Zanthoxylum sp. nov. Linalool, 4-terpineol, α-terpineol, and trans-2-hexenol, are found in all of the Zanthoxylum species examined in this study.

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Abbreviations

asl:

above sea level

dbh:

diameter at breast height

GC:

gas chromatograph/chromatography

MS:

mass spectrum/spectrometer

MSD:

mass selective detector

NIST:

National Institute of Science and Technology

psi:

pounds per square inch

RI:

retention index

sp. nov.:

new species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Alabama in Huntsville, 35899, Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.A.

    William N. Setzer & Joseph A. Noletto

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama in Huntsville, 35899, Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.A.

    Robert O. Lawton

  3. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, 63166, Missouri, U.S.A.

    William A. Haber

  4. Apdo. 50-5655, Monteverde, Puntarenas, Costa Rica, Central America

    William A. Haber

Authors
  1. William N. Setzer
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  2. Joseph A. Noletto
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  3. Robert O. Lawton
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  4. William A. Haber
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Correspondence to William N. Setzer.

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Setzer, W.N., Noletto, J.A., Lawton, R.O. et al. Leaf essential oil composition of five Zanthoxylum species from Monteverde, Costa Rica. Mol Divers 9, 3–13 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11030-005-1298-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11030-005-1298-6

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