Abstract
The use of essential oils as chemotaxonomic markers could be useful for the classification of Artemisia species and to caracterize biodiversity in the different populations. An analysis of the chemical composition of four essential oils from Italian populations of Artemisia alba Turra (collected in Sicily, Marche and Abruzzo) was investigated. In this paper an in depth study of the significant differences observed in the composition of these oils is reported.
Highlights
Artemisia L. is a large, important genus of the Asteraceae family
Artemisia alba Turra is found in the southern part of Europe and is widespread in Italy with the exception of Sardinia [8], and due to its morphological variability has an uncertain botanical placement since some authors have included it in several different subgenus: Absinthium [9], Abrotanum [10] or Artemisia [6]
The oil obtained from Artemisia alba from Madonie (A) is characterized by a high concentration of sesquiterpenes that represents more than 60% of the composition of the oil, while in the oils of other populations the presence of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes is roughly equivalent
Summary
Artemisia L. is a large, important genus of the Asteraceae family. It comprises more than 500 species [1] in the past this number has fluctuated depending on authors’ opinions [2,3]. Artemisia alba Turra is found in the southern part of Europe and is widespread in Italy with the exception of Sardinia [8], and due to its morphological variability has an uncertain botanical placement since some authors have included it in several different subgenus: Absinthium [9], Abrotanum [10] or Artemisia [6]. As confirmation of this complexity, the Sicilian population of this species, due to its peculiar morphological characters, was assigned, in the past, to a differently named intraspecific taxon: A. camphorata Vill. The camphor content is high in A. alba from a calcareus habitat, whereas germacrene D is the major component in serpentinophyte A. alba [25]
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