Plant-part chemical composition of essential oils of Crithmum maritimum L. from Montenegro

Abstract

This paper reports the chemical constituents of essential oils from different organs of Crithmum maritimum L. collected at three localities in Montenegro (Bar, Budva and Herceg-Novi), thus covering the northern, central and southern parts of the national coastline. A total of 12 samples were isolated by hydrodistillation and analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry method. The highest yield was observed in fruits, while rhizomes contained the lowest amount of essential oil. The high content of monoterpene hydrocarbons, such as limonene and γ-terpinene, characterised the samples from leaves, fruits, and flowers. Essential oils obtained from rhizomes were characterised by phenylpropanoids dillapiole and elemicin. Depending on the plant organ and locality, four different chemotypes can be distinguished. This is the very first report on essential oils of C. maritimum L. leaves, flowers, and fruits collected in Montenegro.