Medicinal and aromatic plants – industrial profiles

L. lanata
L. lanata
Boisse (Garcia-Vallejo 
et al
., 1989) is also shown in Table 24.3. This lavender is mor-
phologically similar to 
L. latifolia
but is more tomentose. 
L. lanata
had a very high concentration
of camphor (43–59 per cent) and variable amounts of lavandulol (3–27 per cent) as its main
components.
Table 24.2
Chemical composition of lavandin and
cultivars
Component
Composition 
(
%
)
‘Abrialii’
‘Super’
‘Grosso’

-pinene
0.4
0.2
0.6
Camphene
0.3
0.1
1.2
Linalool
33.1
31.7
32.3
Linalyl acetate
29.4
46.0
—
Camphor
9.4
5.0
7.0
Terpinen-4-ol
0.5
—
2.8
Cis-ocimene
2.6
—
1.2
Trans-ocimene
4.0
—
0.6
3-octanone
Source: Tucker (1982).

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Chemical composition of different lavender essential oils
253
L. dentata
L. dentata
L. grows wild along the Mediterranean coast of Spain at 50–100 m (Garcia-Vallejo 
et al
., 1989). Two chemotypes have been found with the following main components: 1,8-cineole/

-pinene and 

-pinene/

-pinene.
Table 24.3
Chemical composition of 
Lavandula
species and cultivars
Component
Composition (%)
L. angust.
L. 
ssp
. pyr.
L. lanata
L. latifolia
Linalool
17.8
38.0
41.7
19.5–47.8
Linalyl acetate
21.5
1.1
1.1
0–1.8
Camphor
0.5
8.1
12.8 (59.2)
5.3–16.6
1,8-cineole
0.9
3.0
26.3
20.5–42.4
Terpinen-4-ol
6.4
3.0
0.6
0.2–0.7
(Z)-b-ocimene
8.2
0.8
0.1
0–0.5
(E)-b-ocimene
6.2
0
0.2
0–0.5

-caryophyllene
8.0
0.9
1.4
0.3–1.9
Lavandulyl acetate
7.3
0.3
0
0–0.3
Lavandulol
1.2
0.7
0.6 (26.7)
0.1–1.5
Borneol
1.0
19.7 (32)
0.8
0.4–4.9
Notes
L. angust
.
L. angustifolia
(Naef and Morris, 1992).
L.
ssp. 
pyr.
L. angustifolia
ssp. 
pyrenaica
(DC.) (Garcia-Vallejo 
et al
., 1989).
L. lanata
Boisse (Garcia-Vallejo 
et al
., 1989).
L. latifolia
(Garcia-Vallejo 
et al
., 1989).
L. angustifolia
(Main components are linalool (25–38 per cent) and linalyl acetate 
(25–45 per cent).
The data in brackets show the maximum concentration found.
Table 24.4
Chemical composition of 
L. latifolia
Component
Composition (%)
L. latifolia
’86
L. latifolia
’92
Linalool
41.7
27.6
Linalyl acetate
1.1
1.1
Camphor
12.8
16.3
1,8-cineole
26.3
22.9
Terpinen-4-ol
0.6
0.4
(Z)-b-ocimene
0.1
0.5
(E)-b-ocimene
0.2
0.1

-caryophyllene
1.4
2.2
Lavandulol
0.6
0.5
Borneol
0.8
1.7
Myrcene
0.2
0.8
b-farnesene
0
0.3
Limonene
1.1
3.1
Sources:
L. latifolia
(Boelens, 1986); 
L. latifolia
(Naef and
Morris, 1992).

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254
Maria Lis-Balchin
L. multifida
L. multifida
was also studied by (Garcia-Vallejo 
et al
., 1989) and was found to have carvacrol and

-bisabolene as the main components. These are very unusual components in lavenders.
L. stoechas
L. stoechas
L. ssp. 
pedunculata
(Miller) Samp. ex Roziera (
L. pedunculata
Cavanilles) shows two
chemotypes (Table 24.5). Chemotype 1 was the most common, comprising 34/37of the oils
studied in fourteen provinces in Spain.
Both this subspecies and ssp. 
sampaioana
(
L. stoechas
L. ssp. 
sampaioana
Roziera) had 
two chemotypes: one had camphor/fenchone as its main components and the other had 

-pinene/camphor/fenchone. 
L. stoechas
L. ssp. 
stoechas
included 
L. stoechas
ssp. 
caesia
Borja 
et Boday. The main components were camphor and fenchone (with high 1,8-cineole).
Four wild populations of 
L. stoechas
L. ssp. 
stoechas
growing wild in Crete were analysed by
Skoula 
et al
. (1996). The essential oils from leaves and flowers consisted mainly of 

-pinene, 1,8-
cineole, fenchone, camphor and myrtenyl acetate. Considerable variation was, however, found in
the percentage of these components. In general, the flowers contained more fenchone, myrtenyl
acetate and 

-pinene than the leaves, while camphor and 1,8-cineole was higher in the leaves.
Flowers also produced a larger quantity of the EO. Two chemotypes were noticed in the four
populations: a fenchone/camphor type (three populations) and a 1,8-cineole/fenchone type for
the other population.
L. lusieri
L. lusieri
(Rozeira) Rivas-Martinez (
L. stoechas
ssp. 
luisieri
(Rozeira) Rozeira) had two chemotypes
(Garcia-Vallejo 
et al
., 1989) (Table 24.6). Chemotype 1 and chemotype 2 were roughly equally
distributed in the seven provinces in Spain (total thirty samples).
Both had an unidentified ester as their main component with chemotype 1 having a high 
1,8-cineole concentration as well.
Table 24.5
Chemical composition of 
L. stoechas
species and their chemotypes
Constituent
Main components 
(
%
)
Pedunculata
Stoechas
Sampaioana
Chem 1
Chem 2
Chem 1
Chem 2

-pinene
9.7 (21.1*)
14.7
1.8
7.4 (18.6*)
13.5 (23.0*)

-pinene
1.0
22.6 (26.0*)
0.1
0.8
21.0 (31.0*)
1,8-cineole
16.7 (67.7*)
15.1
9.4 (52.7*)
7.2 (25.8*)
9.4
Limonene
1.5
1.5
1.3
1.5
2.1
Fenchone
20.1 (44.5*)
7.3
42.1 (68.2*)
20.2 (56.0*)
15.8
Camphor
23.5 (55.7*)
7.2
23.0 (51.6*)
38.0 (84.4*)
5.2
Linalool
3.6
4.1
0.9
4.9 (12.2*)
3.5
Pinocarvone
0.1
1.6
0
0.1
1.8
Source: *(data after Garcia-Vallejo 
et al
., 1989).
Notes
pedunculata
L. stoechas 
L. ssp. 
pedunculata
(Miller) Samp. ex Roziera (
L. pedunculata
Cavanilles).
sampaioana
L. stoechas
L. ssp. 
sampaioana
Roziera.
stoechas
L. stoechas
L. ssp. 
stoechas
(included 
L. stoechas
ssp. 
caesia
Borja et Boday.

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Chemical composition of different lavender essential oils
255
Apart from ester A, four other esters were present, together with an unknown ketone and an
‘alcohol A’.
L. viridis
L. viridis
(Garcia-Vallejo 
et al
., 1989) (Table 24.7) has a high concentration of 1,8-cineole, 
camphor and pinene.
Table 24.6
Chemical composition of 
L. luisieri
and its
chemotypes
Constituent
Main components 
(
%
)
L. luisieri
Chem 1
Chem 2

-pinene
2.0
2.0

-pinene
1.8
1.3
1,8-cineole
22.2 (43.2*)
2.4
Fenchone
1.6
0.7
Camphor
2.1
2.7
Linalool
2.1
3.1
Unknown ester A
15.4 (26.8*)
22.5 (28.4*)
Verbenone
1.7
2.1
Source: Garcia-Vallejo 
et al
., 1989.
Notes
L. lusieri
(Rozeira) Rivas-Martinez (
L. stoechas
ssp. 
luisieri
(Rozeira) Rozeira).
Chem
Chemotype 1 and chemotype 2.
Table 24.7
Chemical composition of 
L. viridis 
oil
Constituent
Main components 
(
%
)
L. viridis
Minimum
Maximum

-pinene
3.2
25.1

-pinene
0.1
0.4
1,8-cineole
17.8
57.8
Limonene
0.2
0.7
Fenchone
0
0
Camphor
10.3
17.2
Linalool
1.2
5.8
Cis-verbenol
0.5
1.2
Trans-verbenol
0.8
0.4
Borneol
1.6
4.2
Source: Garcia-Vallejo 
et al
., 1989.

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256
Maria Lis-Balchin
L. pinnata
The main components for 
L. pinnata
L. il. 
var. pinnata
grown on Madeira (Figueiredo 
et al
., 1995)
are shown in Table 24.8.
L. pinnata
L. il. 
var. pinnata
grown on Madeira (Figueiredo 
et al
., 1995) has a percentage of
monoterpenes (37–80) and a relatively small proportion of sesquiterpenes (13–22 per cent). Of
the monoterpenes, the highest concentration is of 

-phellandrene at 12–32 per cent with 

-phellandrene at 6–16 per cent.
Aroma profiles
The aroma profile is determined by analyzing the headspace of a growing plant, which is a non-
destructive technique compared to the essential oil produced by steam distillation. The 
odour profile of the living plant would therefore be expected to be different than that of the
processed oil.
The aroma profile may be thought of the perceived aroma of the living plant. The oil, how-
ever, reflects the composition of volatiles and semi-volatiles present in the plant, with molecular
transformations occurring during the distillation process and during storage. Several different
species of 
Lavandula
were investigated by Wiesenfeld (1999) derived by dynamic headspace
analysis and compared to that of commercial Bulgarian lavender oil obtained by steam 
distillation.
Experimental conditions
Botanicals used in the survey
One-year-old 
Lavandula
plants were obtained from a supplier and were repotted and acclima-
tised in the laboratory for several weeks. The specimens were sampled after each put showed
active growth and all sampling took place within a three-month period, 
prior to flowering
: this
means that in this survey, no flowers were included, and that this is not a true aroma profile of
the plant but only the leaves (present author’s note).
Each specimen was sampled at least twice, and the results averaged. The lavender species
involved in this study were: 
L. officinalis
or 
angustifolia
(English lavender), 
L. dentata
(French or
fringed lavender), 
L. stoechas
(Spanish lavender), 
L. spica
, 
L. viridis
(green lavender), 
L. lanata
(wooly lavender) (11), 
L. pinnata
, 
L. multifida
, and 
L. x heterophylla
‘Goodwin Creek’.
Table 24.8 L. pinnata
L. il. 
var. pinnata
grown
on Madeira
Monoterpenes
37–80
Oxygenated monoterpenes
2–4
Sesquiterpenes
13–22%
Main monoterpenes

-phellandrene
12–32

-phellandrene
6–16
Main sesquiterpenes

-caryophyllene
11%
Phenylacetaldehyde
6–9%
Source: Figueiredo 
et al
., 1995.

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Chemical composition of different lavender essential oils
257