Essential Oils ofMicromeria dalmaticaBenth., a Balkan Endemic Species of SectionPseudomelissa

The essential oil of the condiment species Clinopodium thymifolium (Scop.) Kuntze: new natural products and seasonal variation

BACKGROUND

Clinopodium thymifolium is an aromatic plant species that is widespread in the Mediterranean region. It has been considered as a condiment and is used in cooking. As a promising spice plant, some efforts are being made to introduce this plant as a new crop species and it has been successfully cultivated in northern Italy.

RESULTS

Essential oils isolated from the aerial parts of a flavoring species C. thymifolium were analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The results of a detailed analysis of the chemical composition of the oils showed the domination of pulegone, piperitone, piperitenone and isomenthone, as well as a significant alteration of the pulegone/isomenthone ratio with the developmental stage of the plant. Additionally, a comprehensive chemical analysis of the oils in combination with detailed spectral analyses and chemical synthesis of selected compounds has led to the identification of two new natural products: isomenthyl formate and neomenthyl 2-methylbutanoate.

CONCLUSION

The observed chemical variability at the intrapopulation level appeared to be a phenological variation. In an evolutionary sense, the alteration of the pulegone/isomenthone ratio suggests their possible role in the ecological adaptation of the species to pollinators. Significant quantitative changes in the chemical composition of the oil at different phenological stages may be relevant in the case of plant material intended for edible purposes. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Ethnobotany and exploitation of medicinal plants in the Rhodope Mountains – is there a hazard for Clinopodium dalmaticum?

The present work summarises preliminary results of an ethnobotanical study in the Rhodope Mountains. The aim was to assess the traditional home use of medicinal plants for herbal tea by local people and to estimate the threats to the Balkan endemic Clinopodiumdalmaticum. Semi-structured interviews with local informants from 15 localities in Central and Eastern Rhodope Mountains were performed in 2015 and 2018. As a result, the most used plant species were listed. The major source of plants was recorded as being gathered from the wild. The plants, known with the local names “wild mint” and “white mint”, were identified as Clinopodiumdalmaticum from dried specimens presented by informants in Central Rhodopes. A frequent collection from wild populations of C.dalmaticum in Central Rhodope Mts. (Smoljan region) was revealed along with just a few cases of cultivation close to the studied sites.