Leaf essential oil of Cinnamomum agasthyamalayanum from the Western Ghats, India-A new source of camphor

Leaf essential oils of a recently discovered, camphor-smelling Cinnamomum agasthyamalayanum collected from two different locations (Chemunji and Kannikatti, KMTR) in southern Western Ghats, India and C. camphora cultivated in a botanical garden in Chennai, India were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS and the compositions were compared. A total of 34,42 and 33 compounds representing 98.7, 97.2 and 98.4% of the essential oils of C. agasthyamalayanum (Chemunji and Kannikatti) and C. camphora respectively were identified. Principal constituents of the essential oils of C. agasthyamalayanum was camphor (70.8 & 51.7%). No significant variation in the composition of essential oils of C. agasthyamalayanum was found except methyl eugenol (6.3%) which was present only in the essential oil from Kannikatti. This species may be considered as a source of natural camphor for commercial utilization. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.