Chemosystematic studies in the genus Abies. III. Leaf and twig oil analysis of amabilis fir

Abstract

The volatile oil of the leaves, and also the twigs, of amabilis fir consists mainly of (−)-β-phellandrene, (+)-car-3-ene, (−)-β-pinene, (−)-α-pinene, myrcene, (−)-limonene, terpinolene, β-sesquiphellandrene, and β-bisabolene. Smaller relative amounts of santene, tricyclene, camphene, sabinene, α-phellandrene, cis- and trans-ocimene, γ-terpinene, linalool, terpinen-4-ol, α-terpineol, bornyl acetate, methyl thymol, thymol, α-cubebene, α-copaene, caryophyllene, humulene, and cadinene–muurolene isomers and their corresponding alcohols were also identified. The presence of three minor diterpene hydrocarbons and manool was indicated by gas chromatography – mass spectrometry.The quantitative variation within trees, between trees, and among northern, central, and southern populations was determined. The high tree-to-tree variability obscures any significant (P = 0.05) geographic trend that may exist. Several qualitative and many significant quantitative differences exist between the leaf oil compositions of amabilis, grand, alpine, and balsam firs andpossibly also noble, white, and California red firs, and these can serve well in chemosystematic studies.