Essential Oils From Myrtaceae Species of the Brazilian Southeastern Maritime Forest (Restinga)

Abstract The leaf oils from five Myrtaceae species growing in the restinga forest of Carapebus, on the southeastern Brazilian coast, were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/MS. Eugenia punicifolia oil contained only sesquiterpenes, with predominance of β-elemene (22.1%) followed by β-caryophyllene (8.5%) and components of the selinane (24.8%) and cadinane (14.0%) skeletal-types. Eugenia sulcata oil had the highest content of monoterpenes, among which α-pinene (12.2%), β-pinene (10.8%) and 1,8-cineole (19.6%) predominated. This profile was completed with 23.5% of caryophyllane and humulane derivatives. α-Pinene also appeared significantly (18.8%) in Eugenia rotundifolia, followed by small amounts of α-terpineol (4.4), while limonene (4.7%) and 1,8-cineole (6.8%) were the main monoterpenes in Myrciaria floribunda. The chemical profile of Neomitranthes obscura was also dominated by selinane-type sesquiterpenes: α-cadinene (23.4%), selina-3,7(11)-diene (13.9%), β-selinene (8.5%) and α-selinene (...