Aromatic Plants of Mali (VI): Chemical Composition of Essential Oil Ofvepris Heterophylla(engl.).

Commercial samples of Verpis heterophylla of different ages but same origin yielded limpid oils that had a strong blue color when extracted from older plants. Their chemical compositions varied markedly with sample type. The freshest plants yielded oils with closely similar percentages (3-12%) of sabinene, delta -cadinene, beta -elemene, beta -caryophyllene, germacrene-D-4-ol and alpha -cadinol. The oils from plants long harvested contained high levels of sabinene (25-29%), the other constituents being present in trace amounts or a few percent. Among them were geigerene and pregeigerene. No chamazulene nor any of its derivatives were detected in any oil.