Composition of Volatiles in Allium as Related to Habitat, Stage of Growth, and Plant Part

A common characteristic of alliums is the odor which is emitted from injured tissues. Volatile organic sulfur compounds generally are accepted as the principal source of this odor. In addition to the aliphatic disulfides reported to constitute the odor and flavor (2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 13), Bernhard et al. (1) reported the presence of allyl monosulfide and allyl alcohol among the volatiles produced by Allium. The idea of using odor as a taxonomic character in alliums led to a consideration of the relationship of habitat, stage of growth, and plant part to the composition of volatiles in Alliurm. The results of these studies are presented.