Abstract

Daily variations in essential oil composition of the flowers of different accessions fromCarthamus tinctorius L. in Sichuan Province of China were analyzed by gas chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Among 48 compounds, 13 were identified in all flowering stages of all three accessions; 17 were identified in all flowering stages of one or two accessions, and 18  were identified, in one or some flowering stage{s} of these three accessions. Caryophyllene, p-allyltoluene, 1-acetoxytetralin and heneicosane were the major components whose relative percentage contents to total essential oil were from 51.66 to 76.69%. Caryophyllene showed a few changes throughout the flowering for the three accessions, that no significant differences were detected in even one accession. The content of heneicosane alternately changes with p-allyltoluene and 1-acetoxytetralin during the flowering from 1st to 5th day. The content and composition of the compounds from essential oil depended on the diversity of accession and flowering stage in C. tinctorius L. cultivated in Sichuan Province of China.

Key words: Carthamus tinctorius L., essential oil, daily variation, flowering stage, accession, gas chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometer (GC-MS).