LIPID-CONTENT AND FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION OF BARKS AND LEAVES OF PISTACIA-LENTISCUS, PISTACIA-TEREBINTHUS AND PISTACIA-VERA DURING THE COURSE OF A YEAR

The total lipid content of barks and leaves of an evergreen shrub, P. lentiscus, and of small trees of the summergreen species P. terebinthus and P. vera were investigated throughout the period of a year. Fatty acid composition of the saponifiable lipids was determined by GLC. The total lipid content in the bark of P. lentiscus was high in early winter, decreasing during the main growth period and further during the summer drought period. The barks of the 2 summergreen species showed a decrease of lipid content before frondescence and again during the time of seed-ripening. The lipid content of leaves of the evergreen P. lentiscus increased during the early growth phase and was minimal at the time of the summer drought. In both summergreen species the lipid content increased from the beginning of leaf growth to summer and decreased in autumn during leaf senescence. The most important fatty acids are palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic, and in leaves of P. lentiscus also myristic acid. Barks and leaves of P. lentiscus showed an increase of oleic acid during the summer and an increase of linoleic and linolenic acid during the winter. In leaves of the summergreen species linolenic acid increased to leaf-senescence. There is no unequivocal influence of summer drought on the fatty acid pattern. In seeds, the content of oleic acid is lowest in P. lentiscus and highest in P. vera, for linoleic acid the reverse is true.