Composition of the essential oils from Anthriscus cerefolium var. trichocarpa and A. caucalis growing wild in the urban area of Vienna (Austria).

The composition of the essential oil from the different above ground plant parts of Anthriscus cerefolium and A. caucalis collected in the urban area of Vienna has been studied. The essential oils of A. cerefolium were dominated by estragole (= methylchavicol) and 1-allyl-2,4-dimethoxybenzene, occurring in various proportions. The oils from young flowering plants had more estragole than 1-allyl-2,4-dimethoxybenzene. Fruits from one location reached 95% estragole in the essential oil. In A. caucalis, the main compound of all oils was cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (up to 74%) followed by cis-chrysanthenol (up to 16%). The fruit oils displayed a higher proportion of cis-chrysanthenyl acetate than the leaf or stem oils.