title: Essential Oil Composition of Centaurea atropurpurea and Centaurea orientalis Inflorescences from the Central Balkans - Ecological Significance and Taxonomic Implications.
abstract: The essential oil composition of Centaurea atropurpurea and Centaurea orientalis flowering heads (capitula) from Central Balkans have been determined by GC-FID and GC/MS analyses. In total, 121 compounds were identified, representing on average 97.7% of the oil composition. In all samples, sesquiterpenes were most abundant group, representing 53.9 - 74.0% of the total oil. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons dominated in all studied populations of C. orientalis and C. atropurpurea, except C. atropurpurea f. flava in which essential oil was characterized with high level of oxygenated sesquiterpenes. The dominant components differed between species, and also between typical C. atropurpurea and C. atropurpurea f. flava. The most abundant compounds of essential oil of C. orientalis were germacrene D and α-cadinol. In C. atropuruprea, germacrene D and β-caryophyllene were the most abundant, while caryophyllene oxide and β-caryophyllene were dominant in C. atropurpurea f. flava oil. Taxonomical and ecological implications are further discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden 'Jevremovac', University of Belgrade - Faculty of Biology, Studentski trg 16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia. jelica@bio.bg.ac.rs.
authors.forename: Jelica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Novaković
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden 'Jevremovac', University of Belgrade - Faculty of Biology, Studentski trg 16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Nemanja
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rajčević
authors.affiliation: Science Department, Banat Museum Timisoara, Huniade Square no. 1, Timisoara, Romania.
authors.forename: Sretco
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Milanovici
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden 'Jevremovac', University of Belgrade - Faculty of Biology, Studentski trg 16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Petar D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Marin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden 'Jevremovac', University of Belgrade - Faculty of Biology, Studentski trg 16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Pedja
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Janaćković
mesh_terms: D063368:Balkan Peninsula; D031179:Centaurea / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D017753:Ecosystem; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D009822:Oils, Volatile
keywords: Centaurea; Chemotaxonomy; Ecology; Inflorescence essential oil; Multivariate analysis