Study of chemical composition of the essential oils from four Pimpinella L. species of Iran P. barbata (DC.) Boiss., P. antriscuides Boiss. Var. anthriscoides, P. kotschyana Boiss., P. puberula (DC.)Boiss.

The genus of Pimpinella from Umbelliferae family presents 23 species which are found wild in different regions of Iran, two of the more distributed of these species are P. aurea and P. tragium. The aim of this study was determining of the quantity and quality of essential oils from different plant parts of four Iranian Pimpinella species, P. barbata, P. antriscuides, P. kotschyana and P. puberula in different growth stages. The aerial parts of Pimpinella species were collected from Tehran, Khozestan and Ilam provinces. Essential oils were isolated by hydro-distillation from the stems plus the leaves [S&L], aerial parts [A], flowering shoots [F], inflorescence [IF], unripe seed [SI], ripped seed [SII] and dried seed [SIII] individually and were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The yields of [S&L], [A], [F], [IF], [SI] and [SII] oils of P. barbata were 0.42%, 0.67%, 0.45%, 1.29%, 2.05% and 1.71% w/w, respectively. 22, 16, 17, 28, 12 and 12 constituents were identified in that oils of P. barbata. The yields of [S&L], [A], [F], [IF], [SI] and [SII] of P. puberula oils were 0.31%, 0.49%, 1.59%, 3.81%, 6.01% and 1.80% w/w, respectively. 14, 10, 11, 10, 7 and 8 constituents were identified in that oils of P. puberula. The yields of [S&L], [A], [IF], [SI], [SII] and [SIII] oils of P. kotschyana were 0.05%, 0.31%, 0.65%, 7.1%, 5.16% and 5.32% w/w, respectively. 16, 13, 17 and 16 constituents were identified in the [IF], [SI], [SII] and [SIII] oils of P. kotschyana. Limonene (15,7%-82.4%) was the major constituent in P. barbata and P. puberula oils and increased in [S&L], [A], [IF], [F], [SI] and [SII] oils respectively. Geijerene, pregeijerene, methyl eugenol and elemicine were the other major constituents in the P. barbata and P. puberula oils. م-muurolene was the major constituent in the P. barbata oils. â-caryophyllene ( 40.5%, 49.9%, 40.6% and 40.8%), germacrene D (29.9%, 11.7%, 11.3% and 12.4%) and langipinanol (7.2%, 18.0%, 17.6% and 19.3%) were major constituents in [IF], [SI], [SII] and [SIII] oils of P. kotschyana. Limonene (7.8%) was found only in seed II oil. P. antriscuides contained no essential oil in plant parts. According to this study P. kotschyana is important for the highest quantity oil in unripe seed and the best quality of all oils. P. puberula has also the high quantity in unripe seed oil and high limonene in seed oil. P. barbata is important due to high percentage of limonene (63%) in ripped seed oil. P. puberula and P. barbata are suitable for cultivation in south of Iran.