Investigation on the variation of essential oil composition of Zhumeria majdae Rech. f. & Wendelbo in different populations

Zhumeria majdae Rech. f. & Wendelbo is the medicinal, endemic, and endangered plant, distributed on very sharp slopes of mountains at an altitude of 520 to 1450 meters a.s.l in the south of Iran. This species is used in the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders like diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain and sour stomach, heartburn, and cold. The mashed fresh leaves are used to improve headaches and wound healing. To study the variation of essential oils of individuals among different populations, the aerial parts of five individuals of Z. majdae were collected at full flowering stage from 11 habitats of Hormozgan province, and then were dried at room temperature. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistilation method using a Clevenger-type apparatus. The chemical composition of essential oils was analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Results showed that the essential oil yield varied for both different habitats and individuals. The highest and lowest essential oil yields were obtained in the Abmah (5.9%) and Sirmand area (1.9%), respectively. In addition, the highest and lowest essential oil yields were recorded for the second individual from Abmah (7.9%) and the third individual from Sirmand (0.9), respectively. Totally, twenty-five components were identified for the individuals of different habitats. The individuals of a population differed in terms of chemical compositions. Among the existing chemical components in the essential oil of 55 individuals, Linalool (42.4-71.8%), Camphor (17.2-40.9%), Nerol (0.4-5.7%), and Borneol (0.9-4.9%) showed more variation. According to the results of the analysis of chemical data with PCA software, the study individuals of different populations were classified into two groups. A number of 12 individuals, having almost similar values of Linalool and Camphor, were placed in the first group, and the others, whose values of the two major components mentioned above were far from each other, were placed in the second group.