Chemical composition, seasonal variation, and biosynthetic considerations of essential oils from Baccharis microdonta and B. elaeagnoides (Asteraceae).

The chemical composition and seasonal variation throughout one year of the essential oils from leaves of Baccharis microdonta and B. elaeagnoides, collected in Campos do Jordão, SP, were investigated. The composition of the latter species has been described for the first time. By GC (RI) and GC/MS analysis, 43 compounds were identified, and a predominance of oxygenated sesquiterpene derivatives was found in both species. The main components of the B. microdonta oils were elemol (31; 11.7-30.6%), spathulenol (34; 4.7-9.1%), β-caryophyllene (19; 3.7-6.2%), and germacrene D (24; 2.9-12.2%), and those of the B. elaeagnoides oils were 34 (10.1-21.5%), viridiflorol (35; 3.6-18.4%), 24 (0.9-13.8%), and 19 (3.5-9.4%). The identified compounds were grouped according to their respective C-skeletons, and the percentages of occurrence of the C-skeletons in the essential oils of leaves collected in the four seasons allowed identifying the preferential accumulation of different types of C-skeletons as well as the seasonal variation of the biosynthetic routes over the studied period.