The essential oil of Anemia tomentosa (Savigny) Sw. var. anthriscifolia (Schrad.) Mickel

The essential oil composition of the aerial parts of Anemia tomentosa var. anthriscifolia (Anemiaceae) was characterized by GC-MS. Total volatile oil yield extracted by steam distillation was 0.2% dry weight basis. The volatile oil was composed mainly of sesquiterpenes (75%, as the relative percentage of the total essential oil) with lower amounts of monoterpenes (15%); no phenylpropanoids were detected. The sesquiterpenes were composed mainly of oxygenated components (67%), including α-bisabolol (51%), spathulenol (1%), caryophyllene oxide (3%), α-bisaboloxide (1%) and 14-hydroxy-9-epi-(E)-caryophyllene (1%). The monoterpenes were dominated by neral (5%) and geranial (7%), with lower amounts of α-pinene, camphene, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, 1,8-cineole and pinocarveol. This is the first report of the essential oil accumulation (0.2%) and volatile composition in the aromatic fern A. tomentosa.