Essential oil composition of Rosa damascena Mill. from different localities in Lebanon

Rosa damascena Mill. is used for essential oil production in many regions in the world. Surveys conducted in Lebanon showed that Lebanese people still widely use R. damascena in its multiple varieties to produce rose water. In this study seven cultivars of R. damascena growing in different ecosystems were collected from several regions in Lebanon. The oil has been extracted by steam distillation and analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry GC/MS and gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionizing detector GC/FID. The investigated factors were cultural practices, taxonomical and ecological characters. We report the differences in the identified components. The study shows quantitative and qualitative differences between all samples and those of oils from other countries. This is the first report on the chemical composition of R. damascena growing in Lebanon.