Composition of the Essential Oil of Leaves, Galls, and Ripe and Unripe Fruits of Jordanian Pistacia palaestina Boiss.

Abstract

Pistacia palaestina Boiss. (Pistacia terebinthus L. var. palaestina (Boiss.) Engl.) is a medicinal and foodstuff plant. The ripe fruits are used largely in the Middle East as a component of the so-called Zaatar, a mix of aromatic and food plants. Results of GC and GC−MS analyses of the essential oils of leaves, galls produced by Baizongia pistaciae (L.), and ripe and unripe fruits of Pistacia palaestina Boiss. collected in Jordan are reported. Both qualitative and quantitative differences between different parts of the plant were observed. The oil was rich in monoterpenes, and the main constituents were α-pinene (63.1%) and myrcene (13.3%) in the leaves and α-pinene (49.4%), sabinene (22.8%), and limonene (8.1%) in the galls. (E)-Ocimene (33.8−41.3%), sabinene (20.3−24.1%), and (Z)-ocimene (3.8−13.0%) were the main ones in both unripe and ripe fruits. Sesquiterpenes have been detected in small quantities in leaves and fruits and in trace amounts in galls. Keywords: Pistacia palaestina; essential oil; Zaatar; GC−MS; fruits; leaves; gall; insect; Baizongia pistaciae; monoterpenes