Chemical compositions of Casuarina equisetifolia L., Eucalyptus toreliana L. and Ficus elastica Roxb. ex Hornem cultivated in Nigeria

Essential oils were obtained by separate hydrodistillation of three different plants cultivated in Nigeria and analysed comprehensively for their constituents by means of gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The leaf essential oil of Casuarina alpha-equisetifolia L. (Casuarinaceae) comprised mainly of pentadecanal (32.0%) and 1,8-cineole (13.1%), with significant amounts of apiole (7.2%), alpha-phellandrene (7.0%) and alpha-terpinene (6.9%), while the fruit oil was dominated by caryophyllene-oxide (11.7%), trans-linalool oxide (11.5%), 1,8-cineole (9.7%), alpha-terpineol (8.8%) and alpha-pinene (8.5%). On the other hand, 1,8-cineole (39.4%) and alpha-terpinyl acetate (10.7%) occurred in large quantities in the essential oils of the leaf of Eucalyptus toreliana L. (Myrtaceae). The oil also features high levels of sabinene (5.9%), caryophyllene-oxide (4.7%) and alpha-pinene (4.2%). The main compounds identified in the leaf oil of Ficus elastica Roxb. ex Hornem. (Moraceae) were 6,10,14-trimethy1-2-pentadecanone (25.9%), geranyl acetone (9.9%), heneicosene (8.4%) and 1,8-cincole (8.2%). (C) 2011 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.