Chemistry of the Australian Gymnosperms—Part 5: Leaf Essential Oils of Some Endemic Tasmanian Gymnosperms: Diselma archeri, Lagarostrobos franklinii, Microcachrys tetragona and Phyllocladus aspleniifolius

Abstract

The steam volatile leaf oils of four endemic Tasmanian conifers have been analyzed. The leaf oil of Diselma archeri, produced in 0.6–0.8% yield, based on fresh leaves, contained α-pinene (45-73%), δ-3-carene (1-15%) and limonene as principal components. Lagarostrobos franklinii gave a leaf oil in 0.8–0.9% yield based on fresh leaves in which the major components were α-pinene (13-36%), δ-3-carene (1-17%), limonene (16-42%), 16-kaurene (3-7%), phyllocladene (4-10%) and sclarene (2-23%). A re-examination of the wood oil of this species showed it to contain methyl eugenol (74%), (E)-methyl isoeugenol (2%) and elemicin (24%). Microcachrys tetragona gave a leaf oil in 0.1–0.5% yield based on fresh leaves in which the principal components were α-pinene (44-50%) and limonene (10-13%). Phyllocladus aspleniifolius produced a leaf oil in 0.5–1% yield based on fresh leaves in which α-pinene (44-55%), phyllocladene (15-28%) and 8-β-hydroxyisopimarene (5-7%) were principal components.