The chemical composition of the aerial parts' essential oil of Geocaryum capillifolium (Guss.) Coss growing in Sicily (Italy)

The three genera Geocaryum Coss., Conopodium W.D.J. Koch, and Bunium L. are closely related, and their correct identification is complex. The first two genera are distributed in Europe and North Africa, while several Bunium species also occur in Asia. In the present study, we analysed the chemical composition of the essential oil of the aerial parts of Geocaryum capillifolium (Guss.) Coss. a rare species collected in Sicily, which also grows in the Iberian Peninsula, Algeria, and Greece, was analysed using GC-MS. The main constituents of the essential oil were sesquiterpene hydrocarbons involving cis-beta-farnesene (31.2%), trans-beta-caryophyllene (20.0%), and germacrene D (8.5%). The chemical profile of the essential oil presented here was compared with the oils of previously investigated Geocaryum, Conopodium, and Bunium taxa, as reported in the literature. To the best of our knowledge, no report has been previously published about the essential oil of the Sicilian accession of this species.

Automated summary

In this study, the chemical composition of the essential oil of Geocaryum capillifolium, a rare species collected in Sicily, was analyzed. The main constituents were sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. Comparison with the oils of related genera revealed unique chemical characteristics of this species' essential oil.