The leaf essential oils and chemotaxonomy of Juniperus sect. Juniperus

The composition of the leaf essential oils of all ten species of Juniperus in sect. Juniperus (= sect. Oxycedrus) are reported and compared (J. brevifolia, J. cedrus, J. communis, J. conferta, J. formosana,. J. navicularis, J. oblonga, J. oxycedrus, J. rigida, J. sibirica). The oils of these Juniperus are all dominated by monoterpenes (alpha-pinene, sabinene and limonene). The simplest oil was found in J. cedrus (27 components, endemic to the Canary Islands) and the most complex oil was in J. oblonga (82 components). Quantitative data is presented for 138 compounds found in these ten taxa. The far eastern junipers, J. conferta, J. formosana and J. rigida, appear to form a natural group. Systematic and evolutionary relationships are discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.