JUNIPERUS-PROCERA OF EAST-AFRICA - VOLATILE LEAF OIL COMPOSITION AND PUTATIVE RELATIONSHIP TO JUNIPERUS-EXCELSA

The composition of the volatile leaf oils of Juniperus procera from Ethiopia and Kenya are reported and compared with the leaf oil of Juniperus excelsa from Greece. The leaf oil of J. procera is dominated by α-pinene (22.3%), 3-carene (18.7%), trans-totarol (8.9%) and abietadiene (7.8%) as well as moderate levels (2-4%) of elemol, α-eudesmol, myrcene, β-phellandrene, β-pinene and terpinolene. Particularly unusual for Juniperus is the large yield of 12 diterpenoids. In contrast, the oil of J. excelsa from Greece is dominated by cedrol (28.1%), α-pinene (22.5%) and limonene (22.7%), with moderate amounts of 3-carene and myrcene as well as numerous sesquiterpenes in small concentrations. The divergence of J. procera from J. excelsa as early as the Mio-Pliocene has resulted in numerous differences in their leaf volatile oils and also a few morphological changes. The proposal that J. procera is conspecific with J. excelsa is rejected. © 1990.