Chemical compositions of aerial part of Tagetes minuta L. chemotype essential oils from Madagascar.

Abstract The chemical composition of 18 essential oil samples of the aerial parts of various flower color types of Tagetes minuta from Madagascar has been characterized by GC and GC/MS. The main components were limonene (3.6–11%), (Z)-β-ocimene (1.0–17.1%), (E)- β-ocimene (0.5–14.6%), p-cymene (0.3–20.4%), β-caryophyllene (1.1–12.7%), (Z)- tagetenone (tr-26.7%), (E)-tagetenone (tr-31.3%), α-muurolene (tr-36.5%), and verbenone (1.4–15.4%). Results show the occurrence of various chemotypes reach in tagete derivatives (up to 80%) or in terpene derivatives (up to 76%).