Preliminary data on essential oil composition of the moss Rhodobryum ontariense (Kindb.) Kindb.

The essential oil composition of the moss Rhodobryum ontariense obtained by hydrodistillation was preliminary analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Thirteen compounds (86.41% of the total oil) were identified. The main chemical constituents were phytol (31.95%) and 1-octen-3-ol (15.44%). Such an abundance of phytol has not yet been reported in other mosses. Four chemicals (cis-decahydronaphthalene, allo-hedycaryol, jasmone and 2,5,5,8a-tetramethyl-1,4,4a,5,6,7,8,8a-octahydronaphthalene-1-carboxylic acid, methyl ester) are first records, not only for the genus Rhodobryum and mosses in general, but also for the group of bryophytes as a whole.