Comparative study of leaf, fruit and flower essential oils of Croatian Myrtus communis (L.) during a one-year vegetative cycle

The content and composition variations of the leaf, flower and fruit oils of Myrtus communis L. were studied during a one-year vegetative cycle. The plant material was harvested from the ecologically pure area on the island of Vis (Croatia). Yield and composition of myrtle oils depended on collected plant parts and on the period of harvest. Myrtenyl acetate (13.5-30.7%), 1,8-cineole + limonene (12.6-29.8%), linalool (10.8-18.3%) and alpha-pinene (6.6-16.4%) were five predominant terpenoid compounds in myrtle leaf oils. These compounds were also detected in the flower and fruit oils, but in different proportions. The fruit and flower oils always contained less linalool than leaf oils. During the collecting period the oil yields (w/w) varied as follows: leaf oils (0.19-0.37%), flower oils (0.21-0.26%) and fruit oils (0.03-0.13%).