Essential Oil Constituents of Leaves and Fruits of Myrtus communis L. from Iran

Myrtus communis L. is an evergreen aromatic plant growing wild in Iran. Leaf samples were collected from two origins and in two different growth stages. Myrtle fruits were collected at full ripening, stage. The oils of all samples were obtained by hydrodistillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus and their constituents were analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The major oil components of leaves of two origins at flowering stage were alpha-pinene (3.8 - 23.0 %), 1,8-cineole (9.9 - 20.3 %), limonene (5.5 - 17.8 %), linalool (12.3 - 17.6%) and a-terpinyl acetate (1.8 - 7.0 %). The leaf oil compositions at fruit ripening stage was highly similar to those of flowering stage as 1,8-cineole (24.0 %), alpha-pinene (22.1 %), limonene (17.6 %), linalool (11.4 %), linalyl acetate (4.5 %), alpha-terpinyl acetate (2.2 %), and geranyl acetate (1.2 %) were main components. Major constituents of fruit oil were alpha-pinene (28.6 %), 1,8-cineole (26.7 %), limonene (18.0 %), alpha-terpinyl acetate (5.4 %), linalyl acetate (3.4 %) and linalool (2.3 %).