Essential Oils of Two Calamintha glandulosa (Req.) Bentham chemotypes in a Wild Population from Zakynthos, Greece.

The co-occurrence of individual Calamintha glandulosa (Req.) Bentham plants of two different chemotype within the same population is reported. The main constituents of the essential oil of plants of Chemotype I, were, cis- and trans-piperitone oxide, limonene and piperitenone oxide and of Chemotype II, were, menthone, pulegone, piperitenone and piperitone The chemotypes were conserved in cultivated plants. The end-products of monoterpene biosynthesis in April (vegetative stage) were trans-piperitone oxide and menthone in Chemotype I and II, respectively while in early September (flowering) there was an increase in precursory intermediates and their related biosynthetic products, i.e. limonene and piperitenone oxide in Chemotype I and pulegone, piperitenone and piperitone in Chemotype II. Differences in the percentage composition of the main oil constituents were observed between the oils from the different organs of plants in the same developmental stage and between the same organs in different developmental stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]