Components from the Essential oil of Centaurea aeolica Guss. and C. diluta Aiton from Sicily, Italy

Volatile components from florets, leaves and stems and branches of Centaurea aeolica Guss. harvested in Lipari, Sicily, Italy, were analysed by gas phase chomatography (GC) and gas chomatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The main constituents were β-eudesmol, caryophyllene oxide, ( E )-12-norcaryophyll-5-en-2-one and hexahydrofarnesylacetone in flowers, hexahydrofarnesylacetone, 2-methyloctadecane and tricosane in the leaves and hexadecanoic acid , caryophyllene oxide and β-eudesmol in the stems and branches . The analysis of the essential oil of the aerial parts of Centaurea diluta Aiton gave mainly fatty acids and derivatives, the main ones being hexadecanoic acid and (Z,Z)-9,12-octadecadienoic acid methyl ester.